Sulla, N. (2020, May 28). The Answer Is Right Behind Your Forehead. ASCD: Unlocking the Secrets to the Learning Brain, 15(18). Retrieved October 9, 2020.

You’re reading this article, which means you have the ability to focus, store, and manipulate visual information; work toward a goal; create mental images; analyze; and more. These foundational skills enable you to take in textual information and put it to work in your life—without them, you couldn’t read. Where do these skills come from? Point to your forehead! These are just six of the executive function skills that are largely controlled by the area of your brain known as the prefrontal cortex. This powerful and fascinating part of the brain is what sets humans apart from other life forms, allowing us to engage in higher-order thinking and reasoning. It manages working memory, mental flexibility, planning, reasoning, problem solving, inhibitory control, and self-awareness—many of the skills we need in order to succeed in learning.