What can you see doing as a teacher that would encourage the development of executive functioning in your students?

My major is Intervention Specialist which is special education.  In special education a lot of these techniques are already used to teach students self-regulation and problem-solving skills.  These are things that most special education students need to be taught.  I think an important factor in teaching executive functioning is by modeling.  If the teacher is able to model and “think aloud” during a process, I think this helps students to understand the thinking process.  I think executive functioning is more feasible for students with disabilities because intelligence is rated on IQ and students with disabilities test low on an IQ test but this should not be an indicator of their future potential.  Usually the curriculum for a student with disabilities is a functional curriculum that focuses on everyday life curriculum that these students will use in a productive life after school.  IQ tests do not use real-life tasks on intelligence tests which could make a big difference in measuring IQ of these students.

Another aspect of executive functioning that special education uses is the concept of goal setting.  Special education students have an IEP (Individualized Education Program) which states the academic goals for the students for that school year.  These goals are usually broken down with time periods in which the goal will be met or mastered.  These goals keep the student more focused and organized.