Often, teachers fall into the trap of thinking that greater cognitive complexity requires more time, when, in reality, these tasks simply ask students to apply what they know in ways that are new to them.

Rather than spending a week or more asking students to extend their thinking or task outcomes, reaching cognitive complexity can be as simple as shifting the language from “Can you solve this?” to “Now that you know this… what would you do with it?”

In the Marzano Academies model of CBE instruction, engaging students in activities such as cognitively complex tasks (Element IIIf) and the generation and defense of claims (Element IIIg) is not done as an add-on, but rather as a natural step in the learning sequence that occurs after students have developed sufficient foundational knowledge and skill to think productively with the content.

One Small Move Changes Everything

While the folio on cognitive complexity outlines multiple types of complex tasks—problem solving, decision making, investigation, and more—the best place to start is to simply choose one.

The easiest entry point will likely be Problem Solving or Decision Making, as they naturally connect to real-life thinking. Using the tools and templates in the folios, like the Comparison Matrix Knowledge Map, students can extend their thinking beyond basic math tasks to building something like a decision matrix that helps answer a question such as: “You have two different strategies for solving this type of problem. Which is more efficient and when?”

Or, in an ELA classroom, a teacher might ask students to use a decision matrix to answer the question: “Which theme best represents this text, and why?”

In either case, students must determine relevant criteria, weigh various options, and draw a conclusion—all of which asks them to slow down and go deeper with the content at hand. When engaging in a complex task, teachers are not adding additional content for students to grapple with—you’re changing the task demand.

Build the Structures First

Students don’t need open-ended freedom upfront—they need guided complexity.

Dr. Marzano’s research is clear: complex tasks should be structured, modeled, and supported to ensure students can successfully engage in the thinking required. So instead of saying, “Figure it out,” and leaving students to struggle with how to engage in the process, try prompting students with supports such as:

-Here’s the question we’re trying to answer…

-Here’s what we already know…

-Here’s how you might start…

With this approach, the teacher remains in control of the cognitive load—students are simply doing more of the thinking.

Want to Keep Going? Add a Claim

At this point, students may have already demonstrated proficiency, and teachers may choose to stop pursuing additional evidence. However, if time remains or the task requires it, this is a natural point in the cognitive process where Element IIIg—generating and defending claims—can quietly enter.

Here’s the best part: a claim and the information to support it doesn’t need to be formal or complicated. A teacher can simply ask a series of questions such as:

• Claim- “What do you think is true?”
• Reason (Grounds) – Why do you think that?
• Evidence (Backing) – How do you know?

That’s it.

The goal is to get students to take a position and support it—because that’s what deep learning looks like.

Remember, tasks like generating and defending claims—along with supporting them with reasoning and evidence—should not be isolated to large-scale projects or assessments, but rather built into everyday learning to extend cognitive complexity for learners who are ready for that level of thinking.

Make It Routine, Not Special

This is where most classrooms miss the mark. Generating and defending claims shouldn’t (only) live in essays, final projects, or formal debates. It should show up in everyday moments. To use these items tomorrow, consider sparking deeper thought by encouraging students to:

• Turn-and-talk with a claim prompt

• Quick write: “What’s your position?”
• Complete an exit ticket: “What would you argue and why?”

The critical final step is to close the loop. In other words, don’t end with the answer, end with: Has your thinking changed? Because cognitively complex tasks aren’t about getting it right—they’re about refining thinking, testing ideas, and strengthening reasoning. That’s where the learning actually happens.

Final Thought

You don’t need to wait for the perfect project or have extended time available. If students already have the necessary knowledge, they are ready to engage in cognitively complex tasks and generate and defend claims.

So tomorrow, don’t ask: Did they learn it?

Ask: can they use it, explain it, and defend it?

That’s the moment learning becomes thinking.

If you would like to deepen your understanding of Engaging Learners in Cognitively Complex Tasks or Generating and Defending Claims within the Marzano Academies Instructional Model, explore one of the Learning Hub’s Badging Experiences or subscribe to the Learning Lab for access to the Instructional Impact Guides, research folios, and a community of educators working to strengthen competency-based practice. You might also want to take one of our Coaching Sessions and have a Marzano Academies faculty member work directly with you and your team on implementing the Marzano Academies’ instructional model in your school.