A guide for helping students with weak Executive Function skills to learn efficiently and effectively Students with weak Executive Function skills need strong support and specific strategies to help them learn in an efficient manner, demonstrate what they know, and manage the daily demands of school.

About the Authors vii Acknowledgments viii Introduction 1 Part I Executive Functioning: The Basics 5 1 What Is Executive Functioning? 7 Definition 7 Core Executive Skills 9 How Do Executive Skills Develop? 13 To Sum Up 17 Time to Reflect 18 2 Putting a Face on Executive Functions: Students Who Struggle 19 Executive Dysfunction: A Description, Not a Diagnosis 19 The Normal Variability of Executive Functioning 20 The Vulnerability of Executive Functioning 21 Poorly Targeted Instruction 33 The Importance of Healthy Habits 34 Assessment 35 To Sum Up 38 Time to Reflect 39 Part II Interventions That Boost Executive Functions 41 3 The EF-Smart Classroom 45 The Tune-up Tools: Planning, Time, Repetition, and Mind-Set 46 The Targets: Culture, Planning, Routines, and Classroom Design 52 Planning for Change 72 To Sum Up 74 Time to Reflect 75 4 Supporting Students Who Need More Help 77 Planners 78 Materials 89 Reading 91 Writing 101 Math 105 To Sum Up 109 Time to Reflect 110 5 The EF-Smart School 111 “Old School” to New Schools 111 Faculty Meetings 115 Gathering References 116 The Magic Formula 118 To Sum Up 119 Time to Reflect 120 6 How the Specialist Can Help 121 Examining the Learning Task and Its EF Demands 122 Examining EF Skills for Levels of Automaticity and Independence: The Four-Quadrant Model 128 Consulting with Teachers 134 To Sum Up 136 Time to Reflect 137 7 Planning for Change 139 Defining a Problem of Practice 140 Planning and Reflection Guide 141 Using the Template and Guide: Case Examples 144 Plan to Monitor 157 To Sum Up 158 Time to Reflect 158 Conclusion: Helping All Students Blossom 159 Appendix A: The Top Three Accommodations for Students with EF Problems 161 Appendix B: Accessing the Online Materials 165 Endnotes 167 Index 171

Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom This practical guide offers a wealth of proven strategies to help students with Executive Function (EF) challenges—those who have trouble negotiating the world of deadlines, paperwork, and main ideas. The book offers useful tools and systems to help EF-challenged students learn in an efficient manner, demonstrate what they know, and manage the daily demands of school. Recognizing that teachers must manage the ebb and flow of their broader classroom needs, the tips offered here are equally useful for children with EF problems as well as other students in the general education classroom. Rooted in solid research and classroom-tested experience, the book is organized to help teachers negotiate the fluid challenges they face every day; educators will find strategies that improve classroom "flow" and reduce the stress of struggling to teach students with EF weaknesses. Includes a wealth of a ctionable strategies and toolsProvides numerous reproducible, time-saving forms and handoutsShows how to create an "EF Smart" classroomOffers a template for planning and monitoring interventions Praise for Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom "Three cheers for this teacher-friendly approach to make the entire classroom a laboratory for learning those all-important executive function skills. I highly recommend this book." —Kathleen Nadeau, PhD, coauthor, ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life "This book is filled with practical, field-tested strategies that teachers can use to foster these critical skills. It can make a genuine difference in the lives of struggling students and the teachers who serve them." —Richard D. Lavoie, consultant and author, The Motivation Breakthrough