Executive Function
Defined:

Executive Function is the set of mental skills that is used to manage our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to achieve goals ~ chosen BY self FOR self. Specifically, Executive Function skills help us persist toward goals during challenge, interruption, and uncertainty.

9
Areas of Executive Function
9
Areas of Executive Function

Focus

It is the brain’s ability to figure out
what’s important and then pay attention to it.

Working Memory

It is the brain’s ability to actively hold onto
information while using it to work through tasks.

Prospective Memory

It is the brain’s ability to remember to remind
yourself to follow up with goals in the future.

Organization and Planning

It is the brain’s ability to reach goals by sorting
information, making plans, and sticking to them.

Problem-Solving

It is the brain’s ability to remember to remind
yourself to follow up with goals in the future.

Mental Flexibility

It is the brain’s ability to deal with the unexpected,
see what other people see, and then go with the flow.

Self-Awareness

It is the brain’s ability to determine your own
strengths and weaknesses and navigate
towards a better future.

Strategic Thinking

It is the brain’s ability to develop an approach to get
things done, work around obstacles and invent new
ways to solve problems without losing focus, interest
or creativity. Strategic thinking involves thinking
about larger issues or the bigger picture, in contrast
to the “microfocus” or laser focus we bring to
complete a task that’s planned out.

Emotional Resilience

It is the brain’s ability to be effective with the full
range of our emotions by recognizing,
acknowledging, and instead of reacting, responding
to them in a calm and collected way to meet goals.

Executive Function, just like any other skill, builds with exposure,
experience, deliberate practice and expert feedback.

ExQ Executive Function

Executive Function in the Everyday

Executive Function affects every part of our everyday lives, including our sense of self, our performance, and social interactions. Here’s a day-in-the-life of a healthy EF ecosystem…

The Parent

  • More constructive quality time and open conversation with your child
  • More clarity into their inner-world, including their perspective on their own strengths and weaknesses
  • Greater harmony at home and within the family dynamic as your child gains more confidence and sense of self
  • ​​Increased communication opportunities about shared goals and values
  • Stronger resilience to tackle issues and challenges resulting from your child’s enhanced self-awareness
elective curriculum online

The Student

  • Putting your backpack in the same place when you come home from school
  • Writing your “to do” list each night before your start your homework
  • Keeping a calendar of project deadlines and steps along the way
  • Removing clutter and distractions from your area while you work
  • Remembering to put your books and supplies in your backpack

The Teacher

  • More attentive and engaged learners in the classroom
  • Less disruptive behaviors in groups due to enhanced self-control of individual students
  • More self-directed learners who are able to followthrough with directions and meet implicit expectations
  • Increased quality of one-to-one student instruction as students are able to advocate for themselves and seek help for personal challenges
  • ​Greater opportunity for increased conversation about academic goals as well as overarching learning goals
  • More time spent teaching due to less time spent managing behavioral issues
exq executive function

Take a short quiz to learn about YOUR Executive Function

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Take a short quiz to learn
about Executive Function in
YOUR CLASSROOM

BLOG: Executive Function in Everyday Life!

By Sucheta Kamath, MA, CCC-SLP

young women writing notes

Helping Students Develop Self-Motivation

Self-motivation in students refers to the internal drive or desire to actively pursue their learning goals and complete tasks without needing constant external pressure or reminders, meaning…

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Planning and Organization Are Keys to Student Achievement

Essentially, Organization and Planning for students is the practice of actively managing their academic life in a structured way to maximize efficiency and achieve success.

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Key to Superior Problem-Solving Skills

With ExQ, students learn that personal problem-solving is their ability to understand and identify complex personal problems in their environment, assess relevant information,…

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Cultivate Mental Flexibility for Resilience and Adaptive Thinking in Students

With ExQ, students learn that Mental Flexibility is their ability to deal with the unexpected by considering alternative options or what other people see, adjusting behaviors, readjusting emotional coping, and then going with the flow to ultimately…

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