Watch Our Video – Student Executive Functioning: Q&A
In the complex journey towards college, mastering executive functioning skills stands as a cornerstone of success. These essential abilities foster efficiency, discipline, and focus, paving the way for optimized grades and superior test scores. Through meticulous nurturing of these skills, students not only triumph in their academic pursuits but become adept at maneuvering the multifaceted phases of life.
What is Executive Functioning?
Executive functioning is known as “the management system of the brain” and encompasses a student’s ability to self-manage their academic and personal behaviors in pursuit of individualized goals. It is a set of mental skills, including flexible thinking, self-control, and working memory. Any issues with executive functioning can make it hard for students to focus and follow directions, resulting in their learning process being affected.
Executive functioning is responsible for:
- Paying attention.
- Organizing, planning, and prioritizing.
- Starting and staying focused and engaged in tasks.
- Regulating emotions.
- Self-monitoring, or keeping track of what you are doing.
- Understanding different points of view.
What Are Executive Functioning Skills?
Executive functioning skills are cognitive abilities that help individuals manage tasks and regulate their behavior. These skills include planning, focusing, remembering instructions, and multitasking. They enable people to control their emotions, start and complete tasks, manage time effectively, and work towards long-term goals. Essentially, they facilitate a successful and streamlined learning experience, allowing students to organize their thoughts and belongings efficiently and respond calmly to changing situations.
What Are The 12 Core Executive Functioning Skills?
Our program encompasses training in the twelve pivotal executive functioning skills, which are:
- Self-restraint
- Working memory
- Emotion control
- Focus
- Task initiation
- Planning and prioritization
- Organization
- Time management
- Defining and achieving goals
- Flexibility
- Observation
- Stress tolerance
Recognizing the Need for Executive Functioning Skills
It is crucial to determine whether a student has strong executive functioning skills or if there are areas that need to be strengthened. Here is a short list of signs that there may be a need for training when it comes to developing or honing these skills:
- Difficulty managing time.
- Trouble prioritizing tasks.
- Trouble organizing thoughts.
- Confusion when rules change.
- Trouble following directions.
- Difficulty keeping track of belongings.
- Difficulty starting or completing tasks.
- Forget what was just read or discussed in class.
Difficulties with executive functioning may stem from (or be further exacerbated by) learning differences such as ASD and ADHD, but it isn’t limited to those cases; anyone can be affected by executive dysfunction.
As such, we help a wide variety of students through our Study Skills programs, including but not limited to:
- Students who are underperforming.
- Students with learning differences, ranging from language processing, ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), anxiety, depression, dyslexia, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.)
Our experienced team of life-long educators has the skills to help students with learning differences thrive from middle school through high school and into college.
Novella Prep’s Executive Functioning Study Skills Program
Research consistently shows that fundamental skills like task prioritization, organization, and time management can turn struggling students into successful learners. Beyond improving grades, these skills significantly reduce stress and help students adapt to life changes more fluidly. Moreover, all students, regardless of their learning abilities, benefit from honing their executive functioning skills; it aids those with learning difficulties by providing a structured approach, while high-achievers become even more efficient.
At Novella Prep, we concentrate on elevating students’ executive functioning skills through a comprehensive approach that addresses the fundamentals necessary for academic and personal success in all environments. These skills are the bedrock of any success in academics for students of all achievement levels.
Achieving Student Success Through Executive Functioning
As the core of our Skill Programs, we seek to optimize this essential component to student success by improving students’ capacities to self-evaluate, learn, and implement these key skills, including time management, planning, organization, proactive communication, task prioritization, problem-solving, reasoning, and analysis. We take a step-by-step approach to completing tasks and work with students to organize their time, plan tasks more effectively, and encourage them to ask questions when they need clarification.
Our program allows students to develop healthy study habits that champion hard work, focus, and discipline, preparing them for both academics and life. These include:
- Self-evaluation: Enabling students to assess their own strengths and areas for improvement.
- Time management: Offering strategies to effectively allocate time to various tasks.
- Organizational skills: Instilling habits of systematic planning and organization.
- Proactive communication: Encouraging open dialogue and the willingness to ask questions.
- Task prioritization: Teaching students to identify and focus on high-priority tasks.
- Critical thinking: Developing skills for problem-solving, reasoning, and analysis.
- Note-taking: Introducing effective strategies for recording important information.
- Goal-setting: Guiding students in setting achievable goals and working towards them.
- Daily scheduling: Helping students craft sensible daily routines.
- Self-monitoring: Fostering awareness and control over one’s own learning process.
- Adaptable thinking: Promoting a flexible approach to learning and problem-solving.
- Optimal study tactics: Sharing strategies for efficient and effective study sessions.
In addition to Executive Functioning, we also offer additional Study Skills programs to help students develop their abilities and techniques with:
Executive Functioning Skills for College Planning and Beyond
As students near the end of high school and face the complex college application process, gaps in their basic study skills become evident. Developing executive functioning skills at this juncture ensures not only a less stressful application experience but also sets up students for success in college. Being aware of their own mindset, motivations, and focus enables students to choose a college that truly matches their academic and personal needs.
However, receiving the coveted admission letter marks a beginning, not an end. To truly thrive in college and beyond, students need to continue honing these crucial skills, evolving as independent, capable individuals ready to embrace the world with a disciplined approach.
Achieve Success With Novella Prep
At Novella Prep, we are dedicated to providing students with academic support services that lead to noticeable improvements in both school and beyond. If you’re a parent or student interested in our executive functioning, college planning, or additional Study Skills programs, call today to begin the journey toward successful learning. Contact Novella Prep today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about what we have to offer.