Executive Functioning

Our Advisory Executive Functioning

While definitions vary, EF generally refers to the cognitive processes that enable individuals to engage in goal directed problem solving behaviors. This may include goal setting, identifying a problem, developing a plan, the ability to execute the plan, flexibility, attention and memory systems to guide the individual, and evaluation or self monitoring. (Bridges4kids.org)

The lack of EF skills is categorized as a learning disability. Often students with ADHD , autism, traumatic brain injury, and conduct disorder often have difficulties with EF. However, many researchers are now recommending that all students be taught EF skills starting in elementary school. One reason is due to the long term assignments like reading requirements or projects that are assigned over a course of a few days or weeks being assigned starting in elementary school. The other is that we are a society of internet based information gaining. Information found on the  internet or with other technology sources are not pre-organized for the students. It is randomly delivered and students need to be able to process the information, organize it, and distinguish what information is used first and what is used later or not at all.

What happens when EF skills or training is Weak?

·         Children’s inability to organize materials

·         Lack of ability to plan long-term projects

·         Problems with time management

·         Difficulty or inability to complete longer readings and projects

·         Become poor test takers with possible anxiety

·         Inability to prioritize tasks

·         The above issues can also cause behavior problems

Ways to implement EF skills is for educators

·         Focus on one strategy a week

·         One-on-one organizational reconstruction

·         Classroom instruction

·         Daily planner checks and consistent delivery of assignments

·         Provide an EF supply station

Examples of EF Strategies from Bridges4kids.org

Special educators already use many of the strategies that help students improve EF, such as checklists and “how to” lists, breaking long assignments into chunks, and using visual calendars, time organizers, and mnemonics.

Meltzer takes these strategies a step further. Some examples from Executive Function in Education are:
• Memorization—When using acronyms to help students memorize information, the “crazier the phrase,” the better. If a student is non-verbal, then make a cartoon.
• Cognitive Flexibility—To help students improve cognitive flexibility, work with riddles and jokes to help students shift between word meanings. In math, students can ask themselves: do I know another way to solve this problem, does this look similar to other problems I have seen, is this problem the same or different from the one before it?
• Prioritizing—To help students prioritize information, teach students to listen to the teacher’s intonation during lectures. Also, students can highlight the most important ideas in a text in one color and details in another color.
• Notetaking—To help students prioritize and remember information students can take 3-column notes: the first column contains one word that is the core concept, the second column contains the details supporting the concept, the third column contains the strategy the student will use to remember the information. When taking notes from text, students can use a 2-column approach. In the first column, students ask themselves questions about the text, and they put the answers in the second column.
• Self-Monitoring and Self-Checking—Helping students check their work requires two processes: 1) Provide explicit checklists for assignments, so students know what to check for, and 2) Help students develop personalized checklists, so they become aware of and check for their most common errors. As a final step, students can make their own acronyms to remind themselves of their personal error traps.