November 2021

fostering students' executive functioning skills

By: Samantha Hirsh, Assistant Director of Curriculum & Instructional Services

What is executive functioning? It is a word we hear a lot in education, particularly with our students, but how can we define it and how can we help build our students' executive functioning skills? Executive functioning can be described as the management system of the brain; it helps people pay attention, stay organized, plan and prioritize, regulate emotions, and self-monitor. There are two types of executive functioning: hot and cold (or cool). Hot executive functions refer to behavioral and emotional regulations as well as self-management skills we use when our emotions are high. Cold or cool executive functions are the skills we use when emotions are not involved and can include attention, working memory, metacognition, and problem solving. The fundamental difference is that one involves knowing what to do, while the other relates to our ability to do it under stress. For example, a student could think, “I didn’t understand the materials in today's class, and I know I won’t understand it tomorrow, so why bother studying for the test, I am going to fail anyway.” Or “I know I have a test next week, so I should study a little bit every day.” A person can be successful with cool executive functions, but struggle with hot executive functioning so it is imperative to teach students academic strategies that will then in turn help them navigate their emotions.

There are three key areas that are intertwined that help regulate a negative emotional response to learning and strengthen executive function skills. These are: routines and organization, active learning strategies, and breaking down information. Positive habits are often difficult to form but easy to break, and organized routines are an essential component when forming positive habits in any area of life. Think about someone who begins a new exercise regimen. It can take them months of being purposeful and forcing themselves to exercise before it becomes part of their automatic routine. However, if that person takes a few days or weeks off, it can be difficult to get back on track. This concept applies to learning, especially when an individual is not internally motivated to complete tasks that they do not see particular value in (an important executive function skill).

One way to help students develop their own routines and organization skills is by using daily and weekly planners, checklists, utilizing a criterion for success, and creating schedules for studying, homework, projects, etc. Using graphic organizers, project plans (i.e., chunking a long-term project or assignment), and outlines help students learn how to break down what they are being asked to do into manageable pieces.

Active learning includes teaching students how to interact in a positive and productive manner with the material they are engaging in. Reading strategies that can be used across disciplines can include previewing vocabulary, annotating properly, reading with a purpose, or using the SQ3R method. By utilizing these strategies, educators help students create their own routines and organization, which will then, in turn, decrease a student’s anxiety and help them regulate their own emotions.

Breaking down information into manageable parts is an essential component for success when working with students who have weaknesses in executive functioning as it helps regulate feelings of anxiety or being overwhelmed by the presented task. Strategies that involve chunking material into smaller, more manageable parts can help mitigate some of these anxieties and encourage students to participate in activities they might not have if presented as a whole. For larger or more long-term assignments, giving students a project plan that offers specific goals and deadlines is one way to help students break down the assignment. Similarly, chunking text into smaller more manageable parts can help students read through challenging texts.

The strategies discussed (resources can be found below), although useful in isolation, are much more effective when used in conjunction with one another, and over extended periods of time. Once these positive student habits are formed, individuals who struggle in the area of executive functioning will start to navigate their own learning and develop stronger student skills.