What are Executive Functions and why are they important?

What are executive functioning skills?

Executive functions are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully.

There are three keys to teaching executive functioning skills: clarity, routine, and modeling.

When I first developed these strategies to teach executive functions in my classroom, there was a spark.

Students who were mired in academic struggle began to experience success and those who had not struggled experienced even more success.

I believe the teaching executive functions is for all students and therefore, the intended setting for implementation is in the general education classroom to be sure 100% students have access.

Why are executive functioning skills important?

What all students benefit from is the daily opportunity to see executive functioning skills modeled for them and to get daily practice employing them in a no-stakes fashion in a safe learning environment.

Students benefit because executive functioning skills allow students to skillfully engage in their schooling, regardless of the content they are learning.

They are not only academic in nature; these are the skills we use every day in the workplace and in our personal lives.

However, there are six specific executive functioning skills that research has indicated have a profound impact on student learning and success:

When students are equipped with these skills they are far more likely to succeed in school and life.

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