As secondary educators seek strategies to support reluctant and disengaged learners, a greater understanding of the learning sciences (how people learn) becomes more important. This article examines the emerging knowledge base on the learning sciences and investigates how what has been discoveries about how and why people learn have practical implications for improving teaching and learning with reluctant secondary learners. An instructional checklist is recommended as a guide for educators using the learning sciences as the basis for the design of optimal learning environments to engage reluctant learners.