In terms of the makeup of our brains, the frontal lobes (pre-frontal cortex) are the ‘executives in charge’ and can be compared to the leaders or supervisors of a business or organisation – without good leadership, the organisation becomes unstructured and inefficient. Effective executive functioning coaching takes place when pupils are helped to understand themselves better. This means that the parent tries to stop being the teenager’s pre-frontal cortex (i.e. The executive in charge of the organisation, organising and problem solving everything on behalf of the teenager), and gradually withdraws their scaffolding, so that the teenager learns how to manage their own EF skills. The Thinking linked EFs: 8. Working Memory Working memory is a memory that is stored for a short period of time; it allows you to remember key pieces of information for use later on. Working memory involves two different but related skills: the ability to hold information in the mind while performing complex tasks; and the ability to draw on past learning and experience and apply it to the situation in hand or to help predict future outcomes.
What you might see in a teenager who has a poor working memory: • Writing instructions without enough detail to understand later • Forgetting to take home necessary materials, or forgetting to take materials to class • Forgetting to hand in prep • Forgetting long-term projects or upcoming tests • Not paying attention to classroom instructions/task directions • Trouble remembering multiple directions or multiple problem steps
• Losing materials • Forgetting to complete assignments • Not recording when an assignment is due
Ideas about how to help with Time Management difficulties: • Try to make eye contact with your teenager before telling them something you want them to remember. • Try to avoid external distractions when giving your teenager directions. • If you are not sure whether your teenager has really heard / listened to you, ask them to paraphrase what you have said, back to you. • Use written reminders – lists, post-it notes, calendars etc. • Encourage your teenager to use technological solutions to aid working memory by setting reminders of specific events etc. (apps, smartphones, digital calendars) • When you teenager is going to be involved in an activity or task that they have had experience of before, reinforce their prior successes as a way of reminding them to draw on their past experiences.
Managing Planning and Prioritisation self-check form Item • I say I’ll do something later and then I forget about it • I forget where I put stuff and misplace things a lot • I tell myself “I’ll remember”, but I don’t manage to keep it in my mind • I forget what teachers say about how to complete tasks • When I’m at school, I forget to bring home
Not a problem
Notes
things that I will need to complete my prep • I keep making the same mistakes and don’t seem to learn not to • I find it hard to follow directions Strategies to help with working memory include: • Encourage your teenager to ‘teach you’ (e.g. get them to practise explaining a skill or activity) – this helps them to remember all the steps needed to complete the task. • Work on visualisation skills (encourage your teenager to try to create a visual picture in their head of what they have just heard / want to remember). • Play games that use visual memory (Pairs, Kim’s Game, I Spy, puzzles, spot the difference). • Play card games (Crazy Eights, Uno, Go Fish etc) • Regularly completing Sudokus, crosswords etc. • Practise active reading strategies (taking notes, using sticky notes, asking questions as they are reading etc). Pupil self-help strategies: Tips • Use coloured markers to highlight instructions (use different colours to signal different things, such as green for the most important, red for things you might be likely to forget) • Set reminders with time and sound cues on your smartphone • Other strategies:
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Self-talk Am I forgetting anything? Check your list Check your agenda Your own idea:
• Please feel free to email me (marsdenz@kesw.org) if you would like me to do any 1:1 input with your son/daughter to help them get back on track with any of these skills.
Kind regards, Zoe Marsden Head of Learning Support and SENCO - King Edward's Witley