Welcome to Tools of the Mind

What is school readiness ? Doing well in school is the result of a set of underlying cognitive skills that enable children to learn— anything, including the knowledge and skills used to define reading readiness and math readiness.

In elementary school, children have to: Learn on-demand – Learning when the teacher says it is time to learn – Learning what the teacher says they should learn – Making the teacher’s plan their plan

To learn on-demand, children have to develop Self Regulation (Executive Function--EF)

What is Self-Regulation (Executive Functions)  Inhibitory, effortful or self-control  Working memory  Cognitive Flexibility

 Inhibitory or Effortful Control

Being able to act appropriately when tempted to do otherwise

Being able to delay gratification

The Marshmallow Test

Stay on task even when bored

Paying attention despite distractions

 Working Memory Ability to hold information “in mind”

Working Memory Holding information in mind and being able to work with it Being able to reflect on one’s thinking Weighing two different strategies for the same situation so you can choose the better one Taking more than one perspective at a time

 Cognitive Flexibility Change and adjust mental effort

Executive Function skills are necessary when you need to be intentional, to learn something new--on-purpose-- when you are not functioning on autopilot.

Self-Regulation is associated with growth and maturity of the prefrontal cortex.

What we know from the general research base….. Self-regulation predicts school readiness, over and above cognitive skills and family backgrounds – Relates to early math and reading skills – Affects children’s social relationships in the classroom critical for learning

If self-regulation does not develop early, it seems to be less amenable to later intervention resulting in – academic problems – anti-social behavior – eventual school drop out

Self-Regulation is a Problem in Today’s Classroom Growing levels of aggression and oppositional behavior have been found in day care and Head Start (up to 1/3 of the class) Preschool teachers report that behavioral problems are their greatest challenge in the classroom Kindergarten teachers report less than 50% of their children start school with self-regulation

There is growing evidence that self-regulation/executive function is learned. It does not develop naturally It is not a personality characteristic that cannot be changed

Self-Regulation Convergence of evidence pointing to the fact that early childhood is the period when practicing self- regulated behavior has the most profound impact on the developing brain. (Blair, 2001)

Tools of the Mind—Teaching Children to be Self-Regulated Self-regulation embedded in all activities Teachers scaffold the quality of dramatic make-believe to foster self-regulation Literacy and math activities modified to include self-regulatory component Activities teach “thinking before acting” (self- regulation and reflective thinking) Classroom management techniques maximize time-productive interactions and task involvement

Tools of the Mind Our program is designed to go beyond the facts and skills to teach “Tools” or mental strategies that help children become self-regulated.

If you’re interested in reading more you can visit our website or read about our program in these books