We hear the term "executive function" with increasing frequency. The term comes up in conversations about students who are struggling in school--often not due to specific academic weaknesses, but more often to issues of organization, time management, and a strategic approach to getting work done. Often, these are students who can't find their books or papers, forget to do or turn in their homework, and/or have difficulty getting started on, sustaining effort during, or completing tasks.
The term "executive function" describes the brain’s skill at accessing and coordinating all of its functions in order to achieve a goal. Thomas E. Brown (2007) conceives of the brain as a symphony, with executive function as its conductor:
Regardless of their expertise, the musicians need a competent conductor who will select the piece to play, makes sure they start playing at the same time and stay on tempo, fade in the strings and then bring in the brass, and manage them as they interpret the music. Without an effective conductor, the symphony will not produce good music" (p. 23).*
Each of us performs a daily symphony composed of thousands of goal-oriented behaviors conducted by our executive function. Goal-oriented behavior has at its core the application of strategies. Strategies that are specific to managing schoolwork are often called "study skills."
Our success at achieving any task is largely dependent on our use of strategies. We all develop or learn strategies to approach many different tasks. The more routinely we apply a strategy and succeed at the task, the easier it becomes. In order to tie her shoe, for example, a young child requires modeling, explicit instruction, guided practice and praise of her success. In contrast, most adults apply a shoe-tying strategy with little conscious effort.
Good study skills are successful routines (sets of strategies) for approaching school work. They can be grouped into three general categories: materials management, time management, and information/idea management.
What are your challenges and successes in teaching strategies and routines? Please post a comment below!
*Brown, T. E. (2007). A new approach to attention deficit disorder. Educational Leadership, 65(5), 22-27.