Executive function is centered in the prefrontal cortex and involves cognitive strategies that include analyzing, problem solving, activating for work, prioritizing, assessing risk, and delaying gratification. This area of the brain does not fully mature until early adulthood, therefore P-12 educators create learning environments that support the growth of executive function and avoid punishing students who exhibit less mature skills.
A knowledge of how we store and use information is invaluable for teachers in helping students to internalize lessons in long-term memory.
This graphic organizer guides students to categorize information while they’re taking notes, leading to deeper engagement.
When students begin to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning, they develop self-regulation and can set more ambitious goals.
Research shows that hope is a measurable, learnable skill—and to feel hopeful, students and teachers have to work at it.
Social and emotional support are included in sessions at Developing Minds Tutoring in Saginaw, Mich., which provides remote and in-person learning assistance for students in kindergarten through ninth grade. Crystal
With the increased self-sufficiency necessitated by virtual education, educators and parents can help students learn and manage their goals more effectively by directly teaching study skills.
With explicit coaching, high school students can learn to manage their increasingly complex academic and extracurricular commitments.
In response to the significant decrease in student motivation during the past two challenging years, many educators have chosen to explore different means to promote engagement – including rewards.
When adults support development of teens’ executive function skills during the critical years of adolescence, it can have a lifelong impact.
Research shows that distractions, confusing material, or an overwhelming amount of information can tax a student’s working memory. Here’s how to better support this essential executive function.
