Many educators know that behavior is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the individual student’s educational experience. Classroom management systems that focus on rules and consequences often miss the mark for students who are struggling. It's easy to reduce learning problems to behavioral issues. When teachers do this, they lose an essential connection with their students.
Teachers find success with instruction strategies that are responsive to students with different needs and abilities. At Beyond BookSmart’s division for educators, BrainTracks, we help teachers gain a working knowledge of Executive Function (EF) skills for the classroom. These are the many micro-skills that we use to think, learn, and make progress toward goals. EF skills include focus, cognitive flexibility, and working memory.
In this blog post, we’ll talk about why Executive Function skills are a topic every teacher should learn about as part of their professional development (PD).
Establishing a common and universal language of learning
Executive Function skills are life management skills we use to manage our thoughts and actions. We use them every time we learn or try something new in any area of our lives. If curriculum is what we learn, then EF skills are how we learn. These skills apply to all subjects at all levels.
During a lesson, students use attention and working memory to follow along and make associations. They use organization to process information and task initiation to raise their hands and engage. If any of these processes are interrupted, this might be reflected in their grades. The language of Executive Function takes the emphasis off the student’s choice of behavior or their performance. Instead, it offers a more nuanced way to understand unique and complex learning processes.
Finding pragmatic and proactive solutions for individual students
A literature review on PD for teachers showed that content knowledge isn't the best focus of PD for teachers. It's most effective when it focuses on instructional practices. Teachers will benefit from learning both the broad concepts of Executive Function skills and practical ways to engage them in the classroom.
For example, some students may have difficulty turning in homework assignments or participating in class discussions. Both of these tasks require some level of initiation on the student’s part. They may use a dedicated folder for completed homework assignments and check it for things they can turn in at a certain time every day. The student who has trouble participating in class may use a set of prepared response cards or a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to answer simple questions.
Teachers, students, and their caregivers need a clear language to talk about specific learning challenges. When they have this, they can come up with practical solutions to meet each student’s needs. It keeps the focus on meeting learning goals. There's less room to look for blame or get preoccupied with details that don’t really affect learning activities.
Recognizing the importance of differences
Most teachers know that individuals think and learn differently. However, trying to engage an entire classroom of diverse learners is an enduring challenge. Many teachers still take an essentialist view, believing in distinct learning styles that can’t be changed. Categorizing students by learning style or ability level leads to oversimplification.
Talking about differences in cognitive processes helps teachers level the playing field without judgment. Executive Function concepts can help them discuss learning challenges and how they affect classroom behavior in an objective way. Teachers can use them as a basis to help students recognize their strengths and make improvements that pay off. If one student needs an alternative approach to a learning challenge, there’s a good chance it will be helpful for others as well.
BrainTracks: Making it easy to bring Executive Function skills into your school
Are you looking for ways to get your teachers on the same page with effective techniques? Or frameworks for more productive parent-teacher conversations? Focusing your next PD workshops on Executive Function will help in both areas. Our BrainTracks program gives teachers a framework to learn about EF skills and apply them in the classroom. They’ll learn how to determine which skills are most critical for each lesson and each assignment. They’ll also learn to spot gaps in EF skills and help students learn to self-regulate. Students will be able to apply their new self-knowledge and new skills in all their future academic endeavors.
Beyond BookSmart was founded by former teachers. Our coaches have helped hundreds of students with unique learning challenges learn to manage their Executive Functions. Download our Toolkit for Educators for a preview of the tools and strategies we use in our programs.
Do you have questions about what this might look like at your school? Please visit the BrainTracks website for more information or schedule an inquiry call. Let’s talk about advancing your learning community with Executive Function skills.