Students are frequently expected to complete multistep tasks within a range of academic or classroom routines and to do so independently. Students' ability to complete these tasks successfully may vary as a consequence of both their working-memory capacity and the conditions under which they are expected to learn. Crucial features in the design or "architecture" of tasks, coupled with how tasks are staged and delivered, can influence a learner's working-memory ability to perform the initial tasks. Although students with learning disabilities are particularly vulnerable to mental overload during learning, all students can benefit from intervention approaches that strategically manage their processing efforts during instructional activities. Explicit and systematic teaching is an evidence-based practice that contains elements particularly well suited for supporting crucial working-memory processing needed for learning.