WHAT IS EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING?
Learn more about these important skills and why they are crucial for student success in college. We also share free resources and skill building activities to help your student develop their EF skills!
What are Executive Functioning Skills?
Executive Functioning Skills help students to 'get things done.' Your student may have an interest in history and know all types of history facts - but executive functioning skills allow your student to:
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plan across time
break an essay into small chunks with concrete deadlines
organize their ideas
write their ideas in an essay
revise the essay
remember to submit it by the deadline.
Executive Functioning Skills Include:
Time Management
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Organization
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Cognitive Flexibility
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Sustained Attention
Task Initiation
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Metacognition
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Goal Directed Planning
& Persistence
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Working Memory
Why Are EF Skills Important in College?
Executive Functioning Skills help students be successful in a college environment that is largely unstructured. Students in college are responsible for managing their own time, own schedule, and ability to complete and submit assignments. Executive Functioning Skills are utilized by students in both academic and social settings.
Students and families are often surprised to learn that college professors are NOT responsible for checking on students' progress in assignments, prompting students to turn in missing work or regularly letting students their overall course grade.
College students ARE responsible for remembering deadlines mentioned in class, meeting deadlines listed on their course portal and requesting testing accommodations (if needed) one week in advance of any test/exam/quiz.
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In high school, school staff, teachers and sometimes parents function as executive functioning support for students by providing prompts, reminders and taking primary responsibility for managing their students' schedules.
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It is VERY important to start building your student's independence and executive functioning skills BEFORE they begin college. If you are unsure how to do this, you are in the right place! Our EF coaches are experts at building EF skills, scaffolding support of your student's EF skills and gradually releasing support so your student gains skill mastery and confidence in using their EF skills at college.
