What are some of the main components of executive function skills?
Success in learning, living, and leading starts with strong executive function skills, and without this building block, many students struggle academically, personally, and socially. Executive function skills help us stay organized, manage our time, control our emotions, and make good decisions. These skills are important for getting work done, handling challenges, and doing well in school and with friends. Many students (and adults) struggle with developing these skills without intentional guidance.
Edutopia sums it up nicely with this quote: “Executive function is the brain’s air traffic controller, intercepting a tangle of thoughts and impulses and steering them toward safe, productive outcomes.”
What Are Executive Function Skills?
Five key components of executive function include planning, organizing, time management, emotional regulation, and flexibility.
Planning: Setting goals and figuring out steps to achieve them.
Organization: Keeping materials and thoughts in order.
Time Management: Using time wisely to complete tasks.
Emotional Regulation: Staying calm and focused under pressure.
Flexibility: Adapting to new situations or solving unexpected problems.
These key components help us be successful in learning, living, and leading throughout our lives.
Why Are Executive Function Skills Important?
Executive function skills impact schoolwork, social life, and future success. Students with strong executive function skills stay on top of assignments and projects. They manage relationships and resolve conflicts. They build good habits that are the building blocks for life and work.
Students who struggle with executive function may have trouble starting and completing tasks. They may lose materials or forget assignments. They may struggle with managing emotions or adapting to change. Executive function skills are valuable throughout life, and it is important to give struggling students the tools they need to be successful.
How Teachers and Tutors Can Help?
There are many tips and strategies to help students (and adults) build these life skills. Here is one example of a strategy and resources I use with my tutoring clients to build planning and time management skills. Rather than just telling a student to use an agenda, I explain why it is important and model it. I make a point to slowly and consistently work on these skills.
Teach Explicit Strategies: Introduce tools like agendas, checklists, and routines.
Model Skills: Demonstrate how you plan or stay organized at school and at home.
Break Down Tasks: Help students break down assignments step-by-step.
Practice Self-Reflection: Encourage students to assess what worked and what didn’t.
https://tailorjoy.com/6-time-management-tips/
https://tailorjoy.com/agendas/
https://tailorjoy.com/10-tips-for-using-google-tasks-and-google-calendar-as-a-student-agenda/
https://tailorjoy.com/free-printable-agenda-page/
Helping students reflect encourages them to take ownership of their skills. In my tutoring business, I let students try digital or paper agendas then reassess what is working after a few weeks. Usually, my clients have a good idea by then of what their needs are and what works for them. At first, we do all the steps together. Eventually, I asked them to skim their agenda and see what they forgot to write down. I teach them to back up from a due date and write out a plan for completing an assignment across a few days then I have them do one on their own.
Another way I do this is to have clients read a list, such as my Digital Agenda Tips, and put a star by what they currently do and an x by anything they would not do or that they think is a bad tip. It does not matter to me what they put an x by. What this does is give me insight into their thinking and provide a starting spot for conversations and intentional instruction. Sometimes I ask them to give one of the strategies a try for a week and then let me know how it worked. It encourages self-reflection skills.
This strategy can be used for teaching a variety of skills including executive function, study skills, and note-taking strategies. I share the list with the students at the end of the session to use a resource. It works much better than just giving them a resource sheet, especially if I have asked them to tell me what they think is a bad tip! Students like the power to disagree and it helps build trust for future conversations.
Success in learning, living, and leading starts with strong executive function, organization, critical thinking, and communication. These key building blocks have lifelong value.
Every Sunday I share a Building Blocks tip on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn) to strengthen foundational skills. Follow Tailor Joy on social media. Mark your calendar, add the building blocks to lesson plans, share it with clients, post on socials, and use it as your weekly focus—you won’t want to miss it!
This year, my blog posts will focus on these key building blocks quarterly, giving tips for explaining them to parents and students and practical examples/activities for intentionally implementing them. Sign up here for tips, tools, and joy.
Table Talk: Which is your weakest executive function skill? What is your strongest skill? Which of these tips do you disagree with?
Grab a seat at our table and answer one of the Table Talk questions in the comment section.