Executive Function

"EF weakness has a greater impact on academic success than language or intellectual ability"

(Blair & Razza, 2007; Duckworth & Seligman, 2005; Espy et al. 2004, as cited by Faith, Bush & Dawson, 2002)

Executive Function (EF) skills are "cognitive processes that work alongside our intellect and creativity to allow us to respond to challenges" (Faith, Bush & Dawson, 2022, p.1).

These cognitive processes occur, for the most part, in the frontal lobe of the brain. The same area that sees the most profound growth in structure and function during adolescence. It will come as no surprise to teachers or parents of adolescents that these skills are a work in progress.

EF skills are essential developmental skills for academic and social success in Junior High School:

This page provides information about EF skills. For more information on strategies to support EF skill development, see the resource at the bottom of the page and/or the button below.

EF Strategies

11 EF Skills for Academic Success

Response Inhibition - thinking before you act or resisting the urge to do or say things.
Working Memory - holding information while performing complex tasks (e.g., math).
Emotional Control - managing feelings so you can be productive and successful.
Cognitive Flexibility - seeing many sides of an idea or situation. Changing or adapting.
Sustained Attention - paying attention even though you are tired, bored, or not interested.
Task Initiation - beginning projects and tasks in a timely fashion.
Planning and Prioritizing - creating a plan to reach a goal and deciding what to focus on.
Organization - creating and maintaining a system to keep track of information & materials.
Time Management - estimating how much time you have and meeting deadlines.
Goal-directed Persistence - completing a goal without being distracted by competing interests.
Metacognition - noticing how you are doing, thinking about thinking, being self-aware.

EF Basics for Kids (and adults)

What are Execuive Function skills? The brief video from the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative introduces EF and how we develop these skills in early childhood through relationships and play.

EF & ADHD

ADHD is characterized by deficiencies in the neurotransmitters necessary to create the neural strategies associated with EF skills. This video describes EF and why people with ADHD may have difficulty with these skills.

Challenges to EF

Age - EF skills are not fully developed until our mid-20s
Modern Life - overexposure to screens, lack of exercise, poor sleep and nutrition, and sickness
Neurological Impairments - such as ADHD and FASD
Stress & Trauma - high or toxic levels of stress related to ACEs can have significantly negative impact on EFs and can cause "impairment that creates a pattern of mediocre performance, misbehaviour, or dramatic overreaction in response to the smallest sign of negative feedback" (Faith, Bush & Dawson, 2022).

Recomended Resources

(for more information about EF skills in the classroom)

This book is a comprehensive, research-based, resource that defines Executive Function (EF) skills within the context of teaching and learning, and provides strategies to develop EF literacy. Faith, Bush & Dawson suggests that one of the most important ideas in this book is the Barriers and Strategies Protocol (BSP). The BSP calls for a metacognitive approach of “mental contrasting with implementation intentions”. This resource is unique in that the BSP is used both as a self-reflection tool for teachers to address thinking and teaching errors, as well as, a strategy to support students develop independence and problem solving skills. Much like Ross Greene’s CPS model, the BSP is a dialogue between student and teacher, in which possible solutions to unsolved problems can be explored. Faith, Bush & Dawson provide specific examples of universal EF lessons incorporating mindset, motivation, and feedback that support the development of relationships, autonomy and EF competence.

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