View this material in a Google Doc: A Climate of Executive Function
Skip to: Appendix A: Executive Function Skills | Executive Function: Doodle Time | Connecting Complex Thinking to Academic Rigor
Objective: To learn about executive function and how to implement strategies for student success.
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In the NYSED’s Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework, the second principle is high expectations and rigorous instruction. The two bullets below are part of the student expectations for this principle (p. 21):
- Challenge oneself to do more than what feels academically comfortable. Set high goals and continuously revise them to push yourself out of your academic comfort zone.
- Take responsibility for one’s role in group activities, balancing group and individual accountability.
When reflecting on how students in your remote and hybrid learning environment can achieve these expectations within CRSE, the connection to executive function is essential. Dr. Nancy Sulla discusses creating a climate of executive function in your remote and hybrid learning environment. Climate is defined as conditions that have a widespread effect on life or activities. Strong executive function contributes to academic achievement, which is essential for students to be self-directed, productive, resourceful, and resilient in remote and hybrid learning environments (Sulla, 2021).
Read this article, “Executive Function and Online Learning,” to learn more about tips and strategies for creating a climate of executive function in your remote and hybrid learning environment. Refer to Appendix A: Executive Function Skills as you read.
Stop & Think
Key: T — Teachers, SL — School Leaders, DL — District Leaders
- With which executive function skill(s), from the document, do your students need greater support, especially during remote and hybrid learning? (T, SL)
- Which executive function skill(s) do you integrate into your instructional activities presently to support your remote and hybrid learners? (T)
- How can you create a climate of building executive function skills within each of your students? (T, SL, DL)
- How can you share strategies with parents to support their students in building executive function skills while at home? (T, SL)
Take Action
- In her book “Building Executive Function: The Missing Link to Student Achievement,” Dr. Nancy Sulla describes creativity as “the generation of new ideas and processes” and “imagining what does not yet exist in your worldview.” Students can develop creativity through self-expression. Teachers as well as other stakeholders, such as parents and caregivers, can support students in developing creativity simply by providing time to explore self-expression through activities like Doodle Time.
- In order to build a climate of executive function in your remote and hybrid classroom, you need to provide students with opportunities to build their skills around complex thinking. They need to be exposed to experiences that both challenge and support their development. This is done through engaging in experiences that are academically rigorous and multidimensional. View or print this resource to brainstorm some ideas: Connecting Complex Thinking to Academic Rigor.
Appendix A: Executive Function Skills
From “Building Executive Function: The Missing Link to Student Achievement” (2018), Nancy Sulla, Taylor & Francis
View this material on a PDF: Appendix A: Executive Function Skills
Working Memory
- Storing and manipulating visual and verbal information
- Identifying same and different
- Remembering details
- Following multiple steps
- Holding on to information while considering other information
- Identifying cause-and-effect relationships
- Categorizing information
Cognitive Flexibility
- Shifting focus from one event to another
- Changing perspective
- Seeing multiple sides to a situation
- Being open to others’ points of view
- Bring creative
- Catching and correcting errors
- Thinking about multiple concepts simultaneously
Planning
- Setting goals
- Managing time
- Working toward a goal
- Organizing actions and thoughts
- Considering future consequences in light of current action
Reasoning
- Making hypotheses, deductions, and inferences
- Applying former approaches to new situations
Problem Solving
- Defining a problem
- Analyzing
- Creating mental images
- Generating possible solutions
- Anticipating
- Predicting outcomes
- Evaluating
Inhibitory Control
- Attending to a person or activity
- Focusing
- Concentrating
- Thinking before acting
- Initiating a task
- Persisting in a task
- Maintaining social appropriateness
Self-Awareness
- Self-assessing
- Overcoming temptation
- Monitoring performance
- Reflecting on goals
- Managing conflicting thoughts
Executive Function: Doodle Time
Consider the following when engaging students in Doodle Time:
- Provide students with options for getting started.
Have them find scratch paper, notebook paper, or computer paper at home. - Remind students that there are many ways to doodle — cartoons, shapes, lines, realistic drawings, etc.
- Encourage students to let their imaginations run wild!
After students complete their doodles (about 10 minutes), have them reflect on their creations by asking questions such as:
- What were you thinking about as you doodled?
- What about your doodle represents who you are?
- What activity do you love so much that you lose track of time while you’re doing it?
- How can you use your talents and passions to make a positive difference in the world?
Connecting Complex Thinking to Academic Rigor
Print or share (PDF): Connecting Complex Thinking to Academic Rigor
Executive Function Categories
Conscious Control
Skills Increasing Levels of Complex Thinking
- Attending to a person or activity
- Focusing
- Concentrating
- Thinking before acting
- Managing conflicting thoughts
- Shifting focus from one event to another
- Holding on to information while considering other
information - Remembering details
- Storing and manipulating visual and verbal
information
Experiences to Build Academic Rigor
- Effectively using online resources
- Tracking strengths and weaknesses
- Completing a task efficiently
- Building stamina for online activities and instruction
- Developing and applying a positive internal script
- Delaying gratification (opening new tabs on the computer, watching TV in the
background, etc.)
Engagement
Skills Increasing Levels of Complex Thinking
- Identifying cause-and-effect relationships
- Categorizing information
- Following multiple steps
- Identifying same and different
- Thinking about multiple concepts simultaneously
- Changing perspective
- Initiating a task
- Persisting in a task
Experiences to Build Academic Rigor
- Applying and following multi-step directions
- Synthesizing learned information
- Being able to compare and contrast in order to draw conclusions
- Applying feedback to improve work
Collaboration
Skills Increasing Levels of Complex Thinking
- Seeing multiple sides to a situation
- Being open to others’ points of view
- Maintaining social appropriateness
- Overcoming temptation
Experiences to Build Academic Rigor
- Engaging in online collaborative discussion
- Seeking feedback from peers and teachers
- Reaching consensus when collaborating with peers
Empowerment
Skills Increasing Levels of Complex Thinking
- Setting goals
- Managing time
- Catching and correcting errors
- Monitoring performance
- Reflecting on goals
- Self-assessing
Experiences to Build Academic Rigor
- Self-assessing progress
- Setting goals
- Selecting learning resources
- Scheduling time
- Reflecting on own work
- Managing time on task
- Reflecting and reevaluating goals
- Re-assessing ability to manage time
- Self-monitoring behavior
- Building ability to reflect
Efficacy
Skills Increasing Levels of Complex Thinking
- Defining a problem
- Analyzing
- Creating mental images
- Generating possible solutions
- Anticipating
- Predicting outcomes
- Evaluating
- Being creative
- Working toward a goal
- Organizing actions and thoughts
- Considering future consequences in light of current action
- Making hypotheses, deductions, and inferences
- Applying former approaches to new situations
Experiences to Build Academic Rigor
- Developing a purposeful plan
- Planning while anticipating outcomes and challenges
- Transferring knowledge
- Using new information to alter plans
- Developing a problem-solving process
- Practicing the problem-solving process
- Reflecting on the problem-solving process
- Re-examining the problem-solving process used
- Generating ideas and solutions through divergent thinking
- Thinking actions through and anticipating obstacles
Leadership
Skills Increasing Levels of Complex Thinking
- All of the executive function skills listed above pertain to leadership.
Experiences to Build Academic Rigor
- Peer experts
- Students as problem-finders
- Student-led small-group mini-lessons