
At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
◦ Understand executive functioning and how it relates to our students
◦ Implement several strategies and interventions to help students with organization and time management


An umbrella term for the neurological skills that encompass mental control and selfregulation

The mental processes required to manage oneself

Multiple processes, not singular in nature









Initiating work
Inhibiting behavior
Staying organized
Planning
Controlling emotions
Sustaining Memory
Self Monitoring
Cognitive Shifting










“I am a content area teacher. I should be teaching my content and not basic organizational skills”
◦ Self-discipline is more important in increasing academic performance than IQ
(Duckworth, A.L. & Seligman, M.E.P. 2005)
◦ Students with high levels of self-discipline achieve better grades, earn a higher GPA, and score higher on achievement tests
(Duckworth, A.L. & Seligman, M.E.P. 2005)


“These students are in high school, they should already know how to do this stuff”
◦ 47% of college students feel their high school did not teach them the organizational skills to be successful in college.
(Greenfield Online, 2006)
◦ 87% of college students say better time management and organizational skills would help them get better grades.
(Greenfield Online, 2006)
◦ Times of transition, specifically transitioning to high school and again when transitioning to college serve to highlight executive functioning difficulties”
(McCloskey, 2009)


“This student is disorganized and not finishing his work because he simply isn’t motivated”
◦ There are always going to be students for whom motivation is a concern. However, there are also many students who are motivated and do want to change their behavior who don‘t know what to do to change it. For these students, reward programs will not work
(McCloskey,
2009).
◦ 88% of college students want to improve their ability to manage time
(Greenfield Online, 2006)


The goal of EF interventions in education is to make the child conscious of their executive functions and how to monitor them.
(McCloskey,
2009)

Students must understand how to create systems of organization and time management. But more importantly, they need to learn how to “check-in” with themselves to make sure they are using these systems.


◦
Based on the Rush NeuroBehavioral Center
Executive Functioning Curriculum for High
School Students
A quantitative evaluation of the EF curriculum’s possible impact on standardized assessment revealed that students who demonstrated greater adherence to the EF Curriculum throughout the school year performed significantly better on the
ISAT reading tests, even after controlling for demographic variables and prior years’ scores.


One of the biggest impediments to organization is not taking time to maintain the organizational systems.

Allow a short amount of time
students to organize all materials: for
◦ End of prd. on Fridays
◦ Downtime after finishing a test/activity early

How Well Do I Manage My Materials?
Self-Assessment
None of the Time
0 pts.
Some of the Time
1 pt.
I bring the right materials home to complete my homework.
I bring the necessary materials to class.
Most of the Time
2 pts.
All of the
Time
3 pts.
I have an organized bag and locker and can find what I need quickly.
I use a system to organize all of my schoolwork.
I designate a place for homework, class notes, and returned work.
I have a system for filing papers that have been graded.
I remember to turn in my completed work.
I clean out my back pack on a weekly basis.


Allows students to evaluate their ability to organize their learning materials

8 items

Can be administered to entire class at once

Classifies students’ organization skills into different categories based on number of pts.


: administer once per quarter

“
: administer more frequently
(once or twice a month) for those classified as
” or “
”
◦ Allow time for peer modeling
 End of prd. on Fridays
◦ Teach systems for material management (see next slide)
◦ Students can track growth based on number of points they score

1. Student Planner
Notebook for each class
Folder for each class
2. Student Planner
Binder for each class containing:
- Notebook and folder
3. Student Planner
Plastic accordion folder
- labeled subjects w/in folder
Notebook for each class

Activity
School
Homework
Video Games
Internet
Phone
TV
Sleep
Personal Hygiene
Sports/Fitness
Other:
Meals/snacks
Community Activities
Family
Social/Friends
Other:
Other:
Other:
Color


Materials :
◦ Pie Chart
◦ Colored pencils or markers

Administer to class as a whole


1. Create a “Daily Priorities List” with the class
What do they want to accomplish each day?

2. Students complete pie chart by estimating how much time they spend doing each activity on a typical day
Each segment represents one hour

3. In pairs, have students compare/contrast their graphs
Do schedules match their priorities?
4. How much time do you expect students to spend on your class each night?


:
◦ administer once per quarter

:
◦ administer more frequently (once or twice a month) for those who struggle in your class
◦ Work with students individually or in small groups to discuss how their schedules can better match their priorities
◦ Allow time for peer modeling

Name: ___________________________ Date: _______________
Project: _______________________________
Step Action Work
Date
10
11
12
8
9
6
7
3
4
1
2
5
13
14
15


Teaching students to break down long-term assignments into manageable “chunks”

Suggested time per “chunk” = 30-60 minutes

Materials:
◦ Project/Assignment description and due date(s)
◦ Task Analysis Template


Work in pairs to complete the task analysis template based upon the Social Issues
Research Project


◦ Administer for each long-term assignment
◦ Have students transfer template to planner

:
◦ Provide 1:1 assistance to students who have difficulty organizing a timeline
◦ Allow time at end of class for students to selfmonitor their task analysis sheet every few days


Are there particular students you can think of who would benefit from the Materials/Time
Management self-assessments?

Can you think of an assignment for which your students can use the Task Analysis
Template?

Questions? Comments?


Bryan, T. & Burstein, K. (2004). Improving homework completion and academic performance: Lessons from special education. Theory into Practice. 43, 213-219.

Bryan, T. & Burstein, K. & Bryan, J. (2001). Students with learning disabilities: Homework problems and promising practices.
Educational Psychologist. 36, 167-180.

Dickinson, D.J., & O’Connell, D.Q. (1990). Effect of quality and quantity of study on student grades. Journal of Educational
Research, 83, 227-231.

Gardner, H. (2006).
Books.
Multiples intelligences, new horizons. NY: Basic

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiples intelligences: The theory in practice.
NY: Basic Books.


Houtveen, A.A.M. & van de Grift, W.J.C.M. (2007). Effects of metacognitive strategy instruction and instruction time on reading comprehension.
Improvement. 18,
School Effectiveness and School
173-190.

Rose, D. & Meyer, A., with Strangman, N. & Rappolt, G. (2002).
Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Trammel, D.L., Schloss, P.J., & Alper, S. (1994). Using self-recording, evaluation and graphing to increase completion of homework assignments. Journal of Learning Disabilities. 37, 75-81.

Ylvisaker, M. & Feeney, T. (2002). Executive functions, selfregulation, and learned optimism in pediatric rehabilitation: A review and implications for intervention.
Rehabilitation. 5, 51-70.
Pediatric