Embedded Files
Executive function skills are those skills that make us uniquely human -- from controlling our actions to engaging in higher-order reasoning. Dr. Sulla asserts that these are the most important skills we can build in students because these are the skills that will allow them to learn from teachers, books, experiences, and the wealth of information available on the Internet.
Executive function skills are those skills that make us uniquely human -- from controlling our actions to engaging in higher-order reasoning. Dr. Sulla asserts that these are the most important skills we can build in students because these are the skills that will allow them to learn from teachers, books, experiences, and the wealth of information available on the Internet.
Chapter 6 of It's Not What You Teach But How introduces the importance of executive function in the educational achievement of students.
Chapter 6 of It's Not What You Teach But How introduces the importance of executive function in the educational achievement of students.
Building Executive Function addresses the 40 key executive function skills in terms of the larger life goals they support: conscious control, engagement, collaboration, empowerment, efficacy, and leadership.
Building Executive Function addresses the 40 key executive function skills in terms of the larger life goals they support: conscious control, engagement, collaboration, empowerment, efficacy, and leadership.
Videos to Watch
Videos to Watch
- All Students Can Learn with Executive Function - building a case for the importance of executive function
- Executive Function: Skills for Life and Learning - a video from Harvard University’s Center for the Developing Child
- Executive Function: The Big Picture - the “life skill levels” that executive function supports
Resources available at MyQPortal
Resources available at MyQPortal
- Student Focus Cards - Helping students reflect on how well they are focusing on their work
- Task Persistence Card- Helping students tackle the challenge of persisting in a difficult task
- If...Then Planning - Having students decide, in advance, how to avoid becoming distracted and off task (optional blog post)
More Tools from MyQPortal
More Tools from MyQPortal
- Executive Function Survey for kindergarten parents (and the Spanish version)
- How building executive function increases academic rigor -- see if you can take the items on the right and build them into a lesson.
- An executive function facilitation grid to track student growth
- Tips for helping students schedule their own time
Setting Expectations for Students
Setting Expectations for Students
A "Great Student Rubric" can offer students expectations for work habits and behavior that build executive function skills. Here are some examples available on MyQPortal:
- Grade 3 to Adult - focusing on work habits and behaviors
- A K-2 version
- Grade 6 to Adult - inspired by the character education program at the Kipp School
Virtual Learning Communities
Virtual Learning Communities
IDE Corp., in partnership with our sister company Edquiddity Inc, offers two different courses on executive function:
- Getting Started with Executive Function
- Building a Culture of Executive Function
Find more information on the course at idecorp.com/OnlinePD. Each course takes place over 5 weeks and involves approximately 25-30 hours of participant engagement. Participants are paired with a consultant who helps them design materials to use immediately in the classroom. A 10-pack of seats is available at $4,950; individual registrations can be purchased for $595 per teacher.
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