Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Educators

✍ Scribed by Cooper-Kahn, Joyce;Foster, Margaret

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Year: 2013
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 194
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

A guide for helping students with weak Executive Function skills to learn efficiently and effectivelyStudents 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. This book shows teachers how to do exactly that, while also managing the ebb and flow of their broader classroom needs. From the author of the bestselling parenting bookLate, Lost, and Unprepared, comes a compilation of the most practical tools and strategies, designed to be equally useful for children with EF problems as well as all other students in the general education classroom.

Rooted in solid research and classroom-tested experience, the book is organized to help teachers negotiate the very fluid challenges they face every day; educators will find strategies that improve their classroom "flow" and reduce the stress of struggling to teach students with EF weaknesses.

Includes proven strategies for teachers who must address the needs of students with Executive Function deficits Contains information from noted experts Joyce Cooper-Kahn, a child psychologist and Margaret Foster, an educator and learning specialist Offers ways to extend learning and support strategies beyond the classroom The book's reproducible forms and handouts are available for free download This important book offers teachers specific strategies to help students with EF deficits learn in an efficient manner, demonstrate what they know, and manage the daily demands of school.

✦ Table of Contents

Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Educators......Page 7
Jossey-Bass Teacher......Page 3
Copyright......Page 8
About the Authors......Page 9
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Contents......Page 13
Introduction......Page 19
Part I: Executive Functioning: The Basics......Page 23
Definition......Page 25
Core Executive Skills......Page 27
From Big Wheels to the Tour de France: The Developmental Arc of Executive Functioning......Page 31
The Brain and Executive Functioning......Page 33
To Sum Up......Page 35
Time to Reflect......Page 36
Executive Dysfunction: A Description, Not a Diagnosis......Page 37
The Normal Variability of Executive Functioning......Page 38
The Vulnerability of Executive Functioning......Page 39
Developmental Disorders......Page 40
Acute and Chronic Stress......Page 45
Depression, Anxiety, and Other Psychiatric Disorders......Page 48
Lower-Incidence Disorders Associated with Executive Dysfunction......Page 50
Poorly Targeted Instruction......Page 51
The Importance of Healthy Habits......Page 52
Assessment......Page 53
To Sum Up......Page 56
Time to Reflect......Page 57
Part II: Interventions That Boost Executive Functions......Page 59
3: The EF-Smart Classroom......Page 63
Planning to Plan......Page 64
Allotting Time......Page 65
Repetition......Page 66
Mind-Set......Page 67
It Takes All Four......Page 69
Classroom Culture......Page 70
Planning......Page 74
Classroom Routines......Page 76
Classroom Design......Page 88
Planning for Change......Page 90
To Sum Up......Page 92
Time to Reflect......Page 93
4: Supporting Students Who Need More Help......Page 95
Planners......Page 96
Entries for Every Class, Including "None"......Page 101
Long-Term Projects, Workdays Assigned......Page 102
1–10 Confidence Scale for Tests......Page 103
Thursday Grade Checks......Page 104
Thursday Notes to Teachers......Page 105
Sunday's Weekly Preview with Parents......Page 106
Trapper Keeper with Weekly Checks......Page 107
Use Google Docs or Email Assignments to Self as a Backup......Page 108
Reading......Page 109
Reading Warm-ups......Page 110
Literary Web and Inspiration Software......Page 113
Highlighting $10 Words: Engaging with Text......Page 114
Warm-up for Fluency: Seven-Minute Writing Samples......Page 119
Organizing: Inspiration......Page 120
Checking Your Work......Page 122
Math Warm-ups......Page 123
Show All Your Work......Page 125
Guided Practice......Page 126
To Sum Up......Page 127
Time to Reflect......Page 128
"Old School" to New Schools......Page 129
Using Protocols......Page 133
Books......Page 134
Websites......Page 135
The Magic Formula......Page 136
To Sum Up......Page 137
Time to Reflect......Page 138
6: How the Specialist Can Help......Page 139
Examining the Learning Task and Its EF Demands......Page 140
Lower-Order Thinking......Page 141
Higher-Order Thinking......Page 143
Examining EF Skills for Levels of Automaticity and Independence: The Four-Quadrant Model......Page 146
Quadrant 1—Direct Facilitator-Initiated Strategies......Page 149
Quadrant 3—Direct Learner-Initiated Strategies......Page 150
Quadrant 4—Indirect Learner-Initiated Strategies......Page 151
Co-Planning......Page 152
Reassessing and Planning Together......Page 153
To Sum Up......Page 154
Time to Reflect......Page 155
7: Planning for Change......Page 157
Defining a Problem of Practice......Page 158
Planning and Reflection Guide......Page 159
Using the Template and Guide: Case Examples......Page 162
Case 1—Third-Grade Class: Beginning on Time......Page 163
Case 2—Fifteen-Year-Old Girl and Homework......Page 166
Case 3—Reading as an EF Issue Throughout the School......Page 170
Plan to Monitor......Page 175
Time to Reflect......Page 176
Conclusion: Helping All Students Blossom......Page 177
Extra Time and/or Reduced Assignments as Needed......Page 179
Copy of Teacher Notes......Page 180
Testing in a Separate Environment as Needed......Page 182
Appendix B: Accessing the Online Materials......Page 183
Chapter 2......Page 185
Chapter 3......Page 186
Chapter 7......Page 187
Index......Page 189

✦ Subjects

Education;Nonfiction