Do you remember
when Snow White was born how the good fairies came and gave her wishes? What wish (other than looks and IQ)
would you like to give children to help them be successful in school and life? Characteristics such as self-esteem,
motivation, persistence, adaptability, creativity, delayed gratification, and
self-control all come to mind.
These are also part of the magical quality called “executive function.” No wonder educators and researchers are
so fascinated with the topic and how we can nurture it!
After searching
the internet, I ordered EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN THE CLASSROOM by Christopher
Kaufman. This is a very
comprehensive, scholarly, and well-researched book. It would be a fantastic resource for a book study or for a
graduate course. (Here’s the Cliff
Notes version.)
Metacognitive
Strand Social/emotional
Regulation
Goal
setting impulse
control
Planning
strategies emotional
control
Sequencing adaptability
Organization
of materials
Time
management
Task
initiation
Executive/goal-directed
attention
Task
persistence
Working
memory
Set
shifting
Clearly,
children arrive in the classroom with varying personalities and skills. However, teachers play a significant
role in designing an environment that will support and nurture the executive
function. The strategies that Dr.
Kaufman suggests are simple and reaffirm that good teaching is good
teaching! Further, the suggestions
reflect what early childhood teachers have always done. Demonstrating, modeling, providing
children with practice, learning centers, role-playing, social groups – sound
familiar? We have always known
that if children are engaged and interested, it is more likely that they will
learn!
Here
are some key points Kaufman recommends:
*Teach
new skills and content systematically and explicitly. Provide for small group and independent instruction.
*Teach
strategies explicitly and demonstrate the manner in which they should be
applied in real-life learning situations.
*Limit demands on
working memory. Go from simple to
complex and concrete to abstract.
*Provide many
opportunities for guided and extended practice.
*Keep things as
predictable and consistent as possible.
*Anticipate
situations that students might find frustrating and model strategies that can
help them.
The specific
strategies you will find in the book for reading, writing, and math are
well-researched and support Core Standards and 21st Century
Skills. I’ve got quite a challenge
to put this together for my January website which will focus on 21st
Century Skills and the Executive Function. Stay tuned for more on January 1st, 2013!
