In the previous post, we clarified a critical distinction: processing is not simply having activity in the classroom. It is cognitive work that integrates new learning into existing schema. The practical question now becomes straightforward:

What does real processing look like in tomorrow’s lesson?

Below are five “use-it-tomorrow” applications that keep the focus where it belongs: on student thinking and visible evidence of that thinking.

Several of the strategies can be done individually or in pairs. I would use small groups sparingly since it is easier to hide inside one. Your job is to make active observations during the time to ensure everyone is involved. It is also a great time to use your clipboard and capture evidence from students whose status in the learning progression you are still unsure about.

1.  The 90-Second Structured Summary

When to use: Immediately after presenting a clearly defined chunk of new content. The chunk may be delivered through lecture, reading, viewing, listening, modeling, demonstration, or another intentional method of information delivery.

Teacher move: Provide a tight prompt aligned to your proficiency scale:

• “In two sentences, explain the main idea and one key relationship.”
• “State the principle we just examined and why it matters.”

Student Artifact of Thought: A written summary in a notebook, on a digital document, or on a response card.

Why it works: Summarization forces students to identify structure, omit trivia, and articulate relationships. It strengthens encoding and retrieval.

Refocus tip: Do not ask, “Any questions?” Instead, ask, “What is the most important idea, and how does it connect to what we learned yesterday?”

2.  Clarifying Question Upgrade

When to use: After introducing a new concept or worked example.

Teacher move: Require every student or pair to generate one clarifying question and categorize it as:

• Vocabulary clarification
• Process clarification
• Conceptual relationship clarification

This can be done individually or in pairs. I would not do it as a small group since it is easier to hide. Your job is to make active observations during the time to ensure everyone is involved. It is also a great time to capture evidence from students you are still unsure of their status in the learning progression.

Student artifact: Questions written and labeled. Select a few for whole-group refinement.

Why it works: Students become aware of cognitive gaps. The act of generating the question strengthens metacognition.

Refocus tip: Surface-level questions are revised. Students must improve them for precision. The goal is not participation. The goal is clarity of the knowledge, concept, or skill.

3.  Predict-Then-Prove

When to use: Before the next example, case, or demonstration.

Teacher move: Pause and ask:

• “Based on what we know, what will happen next?”
• “Which strategy will be most effective here and why?”

Students must justify their prediction using prior knowledge.

Student artifact: Prediction statement + justification.

After the reveal, students annotate:

• Confirmed
• Revised
• Misconception identified

Why it works: Prediction activates schema and exposes reasoning. Revision strengthens integration.

Refocus tip: Prediction without justification is guessing. Require reasoning from your learners.

4. Think-Pair-Share With Evidence Capture

When to use: During discussion structures.

Teacher move: Before the discussion begins, provide a recording structure. Remember, this is not an engagement strategy. It is a processing strategy. To be the most effective, there must be an artifact of thought. Ask:

• “Write your claim.”
• “List one piece of supporting evidence.”
• “Note one counterpoint raised by your partner.”

Student artifact: Completed thinking organizer. Marzano Academies does have structures known as Knowledge Maps. For more, refer to the Instructional Impact Guide for Element IIIc – Recording in the Learning Lab.

Why it works: The structure becomes a scaffold for reasoning rather than a social exchange.

Refocus tip: If there is no written synthesis, the discussion likely replaces cognition.

5.  Proficiency-Scale Processing Check

In a competency-based classroom, processing must align with the learning progression.

When to use: At the end of a lesson segment.

Teacher move: Ask students to respond to three prompts aligned to the current scale level:

1. What did I learn at Level 2 or 3 today?
2. What remains unclear?
3. What generalization or principle is emerging?

Student artifact: Brief reflective entry tied explicitly to scale language. Using a Personal Tracking Matrix provides learners with a continuous tool to monitor their progress along the learning progression represented by the scale(s) in the unit.

Why it works: Students connect processing directly to progression. Cognitive work becomes measurable.

Refocus tip: Processing is strongest when students can name where they are on the scale. This is one of the greatest advantages to CBE practices. Students can own the learning because they know what is expected of them and can see the growth in understanding. That is the cornerstone of agency practices in the classroom.

A Simple Planning Template

Before tomorrow’s lesson, write:

• Chunk: What new content will be introduced?
• Processing move: Which of the four pathways discussed in the Instructional Impact Guide for Element IIIb – Generating summary statements, asking clarifying questions, making predictions, and engaging in structured group processing, will students use?
• Artifact: What written or visible evidence will prove thinking occurred? In next week’s blog, we will discuss the theory behind Element IIIc – Recording, followed by another Use-It-Tomorrow blog.

If you cannot identify the artifact, redesign the pause to ensure that learners make their invisible process of thinking visible for you and them.

The Standard to Hold

A classroom can feel energetic and still lack processing. The more useful diagnostic question is: What did students produce that demonstrates integration? Processing is not about keeping students busy. It is about keeping cognition alive between chunks. And in a competency-based system, cognition must leave evidence.

Tomorrow, do not add more activities. Add one deliberate pause and require cognitive engagement as evidenced by an artifact of thought.

If you would like to deepen your understanding of generative learning within the Marzano Academies Instructional Model, take one of the Learning Hub’s Badging Experiences or subscribe to the Learning Lab for access to the Instructional Impact Guides, strategy guides, and a professional community focused on competency-based practice.