WIXLIB

SECTION IIEXECUTIVE FUNCTION &LEARNINGThe Five Areas of Executive FunctioningAcademic success in our 21st-century schools is increasingly linkedwith children’s mastery of a wide range of skills that rely on their useof executive function strategies. The crucial role of executive functionprocesses begins in the preschool years and increases as studentsprogress through middle and high school when they’re expected tomaster complex skills that involve summarizing, note-taking andwriting. Each of the five areas of executive functionwill be explored inmore detail in the chapters that follow.Success depends on students’ ability to plan, organize and prioritizetasks, materials and information, separate main ideas from details, thinkflexibly, memorize content and monitor their progress. It’s important tohelp children understand how they think and learn and to teach them touse strategies in five major executive function blyAccessing WorkingMemorySelf-Monitoring/Self-CheckingThis infographic was adapted from a‘Clogged Funnel’ infographic created by ResearchILD.Executive Function 101 10

Long-term projects:Students need to keeptrack of many detailsand manage multipleelements of their projectssimultaneously. Studying: Students needto organize class notes,homework and othermaterials to prepare forORGANIZING &PRIORITIZINGOrganizing and Prioritizing areimportant executive functionsthat all of us use at work andin school.tests and quizzes. Organization involves arranging possessions,information or tasks into a structured whole sothat the parts are coordinated efficiently. As adults,we use a variety of organizational strategies andtools (e.g., calendars, file cabinets and computers)Writing: Students are required to producecohesive, integrated, analytical compositionsthat are well organized and prioritizeimportant details.Why Is Prioritizing Importantfor Academic Performance?to prioritize based on our goals and the level ofStudents who understand where to focus theirefforts on a given day or for a given task are ableto complete complex tasks with ease. Studentsneed to prioritize when they do the followingtasks.importance of the tasks. For example, we need to Juggle long-term and short-term tasks dayto day Select the most important information fornote-taking, studying or writing Manage the competing demands of school,homework and extracurricular activitieswithout losing track of important deadlinesto schedule and manage tasks and keep track ofimportant information. These techniques help usaccomplish tasks. As we organize, we also needselect which tasks to tackle first. Let’s look at howchildren call upon those same skills in school.Why Is Organization Important forAcademic Performance?From the early elementary grades to middleschool and beyond, the increasing demands ofthe curriculum and independent learning call forstronger organizational strategies.The key areas in which students faceorganizational challenges are: Homework: This requires students to writedown all assignments correctly, bring homematerials needed for their work, completetasks on time and remember to turn in theirwork.What About Children With LD andADHD?Of all the executive skills, organization andprioritization loom especially large, particularlyfor children with LD and ADHD. Disorganizedchildren with LD or ADHD are often calledlazy, unmotivated—even defiant. You may beone of the few people in your child’s life whounderstands how having a disability complicateshis or her ability to develop these skills.Executive Function 101 11

How Can Parents Help ChildrenOrganize and PrioritizeEffectively?Your child may understand the value of beingorganized but may not have the slightest ideahow to get that way. That’s where you can provideinvaluable assistance and encouragement. Thefollowing strategies can help children succeedwith academic and leisure activities and providea strong foundation for future performance asadults.Organizing Tasks project as a “mental movie” by breakingcomplex tasks into manageable chunks (likemovie scenes). Use a white board or sheet ofpaper to map tasks into flowcharts. time accordingly. You can teach your child to estimate the time each task will take andUse a family calendar to record importantcommitments. Weekly family meetings canhelp you coordinate everyone’s schedulesso that you model good planning andorganizational strategies.Help your child select calendars (paperor electronic) that can be updated withcommitments and tasks whenever you updatethe family calendar. Encourage your child toreview these calendars daily to anticipate newevents.Encourage your child to schedule fun activities(such as time with friends) along withimportant obligations.to track the time while working. Help kidsmake lists of homework assignments orchores. Let them experience the satisfactionof checking off tasks as they’re completed.Organizing Materials Technology-savvy middle and high schoolerscan try: An organized workspace helps children findthe materials they need for homework easilyand independently. Storing materials indifferent sections is helpful. For example, allwriting tools should be located together. Keep reference materials, includingcalculators, dictionaries and atlases, nearTECH-SAVVYOrganization TipsEncourage your child to write downimportant tasks in a calendar and to allocateOrganizing Time Teach your child to think of a long-termyour child’s homework workspace. Help kids identify a regular time duringthe week for clearing out and organizingFile-sharing software like Dropbox to keepnotes handy anywhere there’s an internetconnectiontheir backpack. Work together to make this Smartphone apps that serve as digitalsticky notes or bulletin boardshabit! Digital flashcards, also available as appson smartphones Password manager software to keep trackof passwordsa pleasant experience so that it becomes a Encourage them to use a brightly coloredfolder to bring important papers (likehomework and permission slips) to andfrom school, so those items don’t get lost.Executive Function 101 12

Prioritizing Tasks Help kids prioritize homework tasks based ondue dates, difficulty level or the level of stressthey have about the tasks. Encourage them to list the steps needed tocomplete long-term projects. Help them sequence tasks logically. Forinstance, before looking up vocabulary wordsin the dictionary, they could alphabetize thelist first. Partner with your child and the teacher.Collaborate to develop an organization systemthat works for your kids. Encourage them toexpress their opinions and preferences. Afterall, no organization method will work unlessyour child is willing to use it! Lead by (honest) example. Show yourchild the importance of organization in yourown life. Point out how a shopping list givesdirection to a trip to the supermarket. Ifyou rely on lists, a datebook or apps on yoursmartphone to stay organized, talk with yourchild about how your personal organizingsystem works (or falls short). Be honest aboutyour own organizational frustrations, so yourchild understands that organization is a skillthat many people—even adults—struggle tomaster. Create comfortable routines. All of usdevelop routines and habits to get us throughthe day. Your child will benefit greatly fromknowing what to expect during a typical schoolday and week. Keeping track of homeworkand assignments by writing in a planner everyday gives your child a visual reminder of whatneeds doing.Prioritizing Materials Teach kids to review homework and gathermaterials before starting work so thateverything is collected before they startworking. Store the most commonly used items withineasy reach in accessible locations.Keep It Simple, Relevant and RealHere are some general attitudes and approachesto keep in mind as you teach your child how toorganize and prioritize schoolwork and life ingeneral: Call upon your intimate knowledge ofyour kids—their personality, strengths andchallenges. Consider how your child thinks andworks. Focus first on short-term strategiesrelated to certain tasks or assignments. Start small. Help your child see that thesmallest improvements will make life easier. Keep it simple. Help your child be flexible,since children’s preferences change as doteachers’ requirements. Look for quick, easyways to begin organizing: a simple planner thatyou and your child check daily, a routine forfilling and emptying a backpack, a schedule fordaily homework, study and review.Relish the RewardsWith Your ChildStudents with LDand ADHD need extratime and practiceto develop theseskills. But once theylearn these habits,they’re rewardedwith greater successin school, more freetime to have fun—anda sense of pride andaccomplishment.Executive Function 101 13

Math competencyinvolves shiftingShifting/Thinking Flexiblybetween word meanings,procedures and operations. Science and historyrequire students to usecontext clues to prioritizeand focus on the mostCognitive flexibility, or theability to think flexibly and toshift approaches, is a criticalexecutive function for learningand succeeding in school. Students who have difficulty shifting also relevant information.Foreign language learning requiresstudents to shift between their nativelanguage and the language they are learning.Studying and test-taking requirestruggle to cope with unexpected changes in theirstudents to go back and forth between topicsschedules, routines or homework, and may beor problem types that are presented inviewed by their parents and teachers as “rigid,”different formats.“stubborn” or “single-minded.” Many childrenwith LD and ADHD have trouble thinkingflexibly.Why Is Flexible ThinkingSo Important for AcademicPerformance?As students advance through grade levels andthe curriculum becomes more complex, they mustbe able to interpret information in more than oneway and to change their approaches and strategieswhen needed. For example: Reading comprehension requires a studentto go back and forth between the major themesand supporting details and to sift and sortinformation while reading. Written language requires balancingimportant concepts and main ideas withWHAT ARE THEBenefIts ofBeing Bilingual?Scientists propose that a bilingualindividual uses “executive control”functions to separate the twolanguages.These executive functions are theabilities of the brain that we usefor things like higher-level decisionmaking, paying attention in acrowded coffee shop or figuring outlogic puzzles.So, as a bilingual person managestheir two languages, they areeffectively exercising these same brain“muscles.”the supporting details a student wants tocommunicate in writing.Executive Function 101 14

How Can You Help Your Child Becomea More Flexible Thinker?efficient. Multiple math formats help childrenrecognize that the presentation of problemsmay differ between class work, homework andtests. Encourage them to recognize the needto shift from one operation (e.g., addition) toa different one (e.g., subtraction). Have themask questions like: Do I know more than oneway to solve the problem? Does this looksimilar to anything I’ve seen before? Is thisproblem the same or different from the lastproblem?If your child needs help becoming a moreflexible thinker, you could try introducing thestrategies on the next page into daily activities athome, including homework and family (or solo)time. Activities that involve multiple-meaningwords, word categories and numberpuzzles can build a child’s flexible approachto language and numbers from the preschoolyears onwards.Visualizing and discussing jokes,riddles, puns and multiple-meaningwords can help children recognize thatambiguities in language can affect meaningand reinforce the importance of using contextclues when reading.Reading comprehension: When your kidscome across words or sentences they don’tunderstand, encourage them to stop readingand ask key questions such as: Is there a wordor phrase that could have more than onemeaning? Can I emphasize different parts ofthis sentence to change its meaning?Written language: If your child gets“stuck” on a writing task, encourage the useof strategies to organize and prioritize theinformation. Some tools that can assist in thisare graphic organizers to help children shiftbetween the main ideas and supporting details,and a three-column note-taking system torecord major themes, concepts or questions inthe first column, relevant details in the secondcolumn, and a memory strategy, such as apicture, in the third column. Studying for tests and quizzes: Showyour child how to extract and memorizeinformation from many sources, includingtextbooks, homework and notes. Help kidsrecognize that:··They need to study differently fordifferent kinds of tests. A multiplechoice test requires a focus on detailsand facts, but an essay question dependson telling the story rather than simplycramming in details.··Different study strategies may beneeded in different subject areas.For example, reviewing the major ideas innotes and textbooks is good preparationfor a history test, but class work and pasthomework assignments are more importantfor math.··With time, patience and practice, youcan help children become more flexiblethinkers, which will in turn help them learnmore and perform better in school.123Math: If kids try to solve math problemsin only one way, show them how to look foralternative approaches which may be moreExecutive Function 101 15

WorkingMemoryRemember the day when someonerattled off a phone number, andyou hoped you’d recall the stringof digits as you were dialing?“It’s likemental juggling.As informationcomes in, you’reprocessing it atthe same time asyou store it.”That was working memory, which plays a keyrole in learning in our daily lives. While workingmemory isn’t one of the executive functions, it’smuch like a foundation that supports the executivefunctions.If working memory is weak, it can trip up justabout anyone, especially a child with LD or ADHD.You can take steps to help a child with weakworking memory, whether or not learning andattention issues are part of the picture. First youneed to understand what working memory is andwhy it matters.What Is Working Memory?To understand what working memory is, seewhat a handful of experts have to say about it:Children use this skill when doing mathcalculations or listening to a story. They have tohold onto the numbers while working with them.They need to remember the sequence of events andalso think of what the story is about.Types of Working MemoryThere are two types of working memory:1. Verbal (auditory) working memorytaps into the sound (phonological) system.When kids have to follow a multi-step set oforal instructions, they’re using these working“Workingmemory isyour brain’sPost-itnote.”“It helps uskeep informationin mind while usingthat informationto complete a taskor execute achallenge.”“Brief bydesign, workingmemory involvesa short-term useof memory andattention.”Executive Function 101 16

memory skills. If there’s a weakness, however,they may not be able to keep the instructions inmind while working with them, even when theyfully understand what to do.Other tasks that require use of verbal(auditory) working memory are languagelearning and comprehension tasks. Auditoryworking memory usually affects learning morethan visual-spatial working memory because,since so much information is relayed verballyin school, it’s harder for students to easily findways to compensate for it.2. Visual- spatial working memory is like avisual sketchpad in the brain. It allows you toenvision something, to keep it in your “mind’seye.” Students use this skill to do math andto remember patterns, images and sequencesof events. They might use it to visualize theDifficulty with working memory may showup later in school, when executive skills ofcomprehension and analysis come into play. Asyou can imagine, then, if a child has a learningdisability, weak working memory can add insultto injury. For example, a fifth grader who’s stillsounding out words while reading is relying heavilyon working memory to help compensate. Thisputs a huge tax on the working memory system.At this stage, you want kids’ reading to be moreautomatic—for them to be able to look at a wordand recognize it without having to recruit attentionor working memory to do the task. So, for a childwho needs to compensate but can’t rely on workingmemory, the process can become all the morepainful.How Can You Identify WorkingMemory Problems?of this type is ripe for misunderstanding. ForTo figure out if your child has a problem withworking memory, first watch for signs (or askyour child’s teacher to do so). Kids with workingmemory problems could do the following.example, it might seem as though a child is Abandon activities before completing themsimply not paying attention. Appear to be daydreaming often Fail to complete assignments Raise their hands to answer questions butforget what they wanted to say (This is typicalfor a 5-year-old, but not for an 11-year-old, forexample.) Mix up material inappropriately—for example,combining two sentences Forget how to continue an activity that they’vestarted, even though the teacher has explainedthe stepslayout of the classroom during the first coupleof weeks of school. If not identified, a deficitHow Is Working Memory Linked WithLearning and Attention?Working memory can be a major problem forkids with ADHD, and those with weak workingmemory are likely to have LD, too.If you or your kids’ teachers have observedthese behaviors, perhaps consider formal testing.A school psychologist can assess both forms ofworking memory for your child.Executive Function 101 17

How to Help a Child With PoorWorking MemorySelf-Monitoring/Self-CheckingThere are lots of ways to help children withpoor working memory—from teaching themhow to compensate to lifestyle changes. Here aretechniques you can try (or share with your child’steachers to try): Know your kids’ weaknesses, but playto their strengths. If your child has strongvisual-spatial skills, try taking informationfrom a math word problem and inserting it intoa visual diagram. For instance, try using blocksor Legos to complete addition and subtractionproblems. Help compensate for a weakness. Breakup or chunk information. This takes up fewerSelf-monitoring is an executiveskill that requires students torecognize when and how to usespecific strategies, check theeffectiveness of these strategiesand adjust strategies in relationto the task at hand.“slots” in working memory. For example, giveone or two instructions rather than a longstring of them. If auditory working memoryis weak, don’t expect them to depend on it forimportant things. Encourage them to

child. This list does not diagnose or pinpoint a specific problem, but it can be helpful as a way to capture your observations and concerns and start a conversation with your child’s school personnel or other professionals. On the next page, we’ll look at the overarching execut