Supporting Students in the Classroom: Attention, Organization & Planning Erin Cowell & Suzanne Nice

Reasons Why Students Struggle Typical adolescent development ◦ Physical (nutrition, exercise, sleep) ◦ Emotional (anxiety can look a lot like ADHD) ◦ Social (problems with family/friends can look like poor motivation / ADHD) ◦ Executive Skills (continue to develop well into the 20’s) Academic skill differences (Explore Scores are on IC!). Students who may not speak English full-time. These students may have excellent conversational skills but struggle with academic language.

Brain Development Recent research indicates that frontal lobe development may continue well into the 20’s and early 30’s. This includes typical development and not just those identified with a disability. Males lag behind females in frontal lobe development - ◦ Females – years ◦ Males – 27 – 32 years

Executive Function Skills Flexibility – adaptable, improvise, shift approaches Goal-directed persistence – sustain effort over time Metacognition – self-monitor & observe Organization – systematic approach to achieve goals Planning – develop a strategy to achieve a goal Regulation of Affect – manage one’s feelings

Executive Function Skills Response to Inhibition – self-control, delay Social thinking – respond appropriately to social conditions Sustained Attention - maintain attention in the presence of distractions Task Initiation – start a task without procrastination Time Management – prioritize and respond in a timely manner Working Memory – hold one piece of information while working with another

Executive Function Challenges in the Classroom Inhibit – impulsive, has trouble stopping when silly, doesn’t think before doing, needs close supervision Shift – stubborn, can’t get disappointment off their mind, resists accepting a different way to solve a problem, becomes upset with new situations Emotional Control – overreacts to small problems, explosive/angry outbursts, easily tearful, mood changes frequently

Executive Function Challenges in the Classroom Initiate – does not take initiative, not a self-starter, needs to be told to begin a task even when willing, lies around the house a lot Working Memory – absent-minded, when given three things to do only remembers the first or last, trouble with multi-step activities (directions, assignments, chores, etc.)

Executive Function Challenges in the Classroom Plan/Organize – good ideas but can’t get the job done, written work poorly organized, starts projects without the right materials, trouble planning for future activities, underestimate time needed to complete tasks Monitor – doesn’t ask for help when needed, doesn’t check work for mistakes, makes careless errors, unaware of how behavior affects others, leaves work incomplete, not aware when their work does not match teacher expectations

Ways to support students: The most important things teachers can do to support students occur before students walk in the door. As we talk, consider your practices. What has worked well for you? Feel free to share examples! Classroom structure & routines Building relationships to promote engagement Teach and practice specific skills (organization, planning, test- taking)

Classroom Structure Structure the environment by building in cues to remind students of tasks to be done or behaviors to be performed: Post homework & important reminders in the same location on the whiteboard & in the same format throughout the year. For efficient use of class time, write a daily schedule or lesson agenda on the board. This will facilitate transitions and reduce the need to give multiple verbal directions. Identify & clearly label where homework is placed each day, or how it will be checked.

Establish Routines Homework collection routine. Visual and verbal cues. Start class by talking about tomorrow’s homework- discuss how will it tie into today’s lesson. Have students get out assignment notebooks & write down homework together at the beginning of class or stop class early to give time for this. Establish a clear routine and practice for sharing critical information and materials when a student misses class. EXAMPLES???

Building Relationships Greet students as they walk in the door. Greet students when they return from absences. Help them access notes/information they missed until it becomes routine. Provide many opportunities to respond. For students who struggle with content or are shy, give them a heads-up about participating.

Promoting Engagement & Attention Establish relevancy and purpose for learning by relating to previous experiences. Pacing of classroom instruction can promote attention or encourage inattention. Extended periods of lecturing without opportunities for engagement or movement is challenging for all teenagers (and us too, right?!). Provide opportunities for movement. Alternate quiet/passive and active tasks.

Promoting Engagement & Attention Prompt students when it is a good time to write something down. Ask students what questions they think might be on a quiz or test. Encourage feedback from students to check for understanding Familiarize students with any new vocabulary before beginning the lesson. Alert student’s attention before expressing key points.

Promoting Engagement in Quiet or Inattentive Students Make a positive comment every time the student shows any evidence of interest. Shape approximations of desired behavior by giving immediate, positive feedback for participating or being on-task. If student answers a problem correctly, say “Nice job on that problem. Tell me how you figured it out?” Give students advance warning before calling on them. Use a pre-planned nonverbal signal to cue student to focus.

Supporting students who have difficulty paying attention Many students do not have attention issues across the board. Consider many reasons why students may present with attention problems.  Academic skills problems  Physical, emotional, social stressors  Language considerations Include student in discussion about strategies that might help them (i.e, cue to focus—be creative, seating arrangement) Do you need more information from a counselor?

Teach Specific Skills Don’t assume that students know how to… ◦Organize Materials / Class Notes ◦Use Technology ◦Plan for long-term assignments ◦Study for Tests

Organization MATERIALS: Develop and teach a materials management system for your classes. Review it frequently & take time to organize together on an established routine. Clean out & start fresh at the beginning of a unit or quarterly. NOTES: Provide copies of notes or templates to help them structure notes. This will ensure that they have the critical information they will need when studying for tests or completing assignments based on lecture material.

Use Technology ◦ Take time in class to show students how to get to your website. ◦ Give students time in class to practice getting to your website and navigating through it. ◦ Teacher Website Scavenger Hunt ◦ Have students reply to an you send them for homework. Could ask students questions to get to know them better. ◦ Booster sessions to remind students how to get to assignments on website, etc.

Plan for Long-Term Assignments Present all assignments orally and in writing Break assignments into parts with check-in points along the way Talk to all students about the steps for getting started on an assignment—this is what you will need to do first, then… Talk individually with students who you observe are not able to start something or miss a check-in point. ◦ Are they overwhelmed? Help them prioritize ◦ Difficulty coming up with ideas? Help them brainstorm Students benefit from being given scoring rubrics that define exactly what is to be included in class assignments. The rubric can be written as a checklist that students are asked to complete as part of the assignments.

Studying for Tests Help and teach students how to organize material to prepare for a test. Be explicit in what they will need to do to be successful on the test. See “Tools for Studying” form Recommend specific study strategies: Reread textReread/organize notes Outline textHighlight notes Make concept mapQuiz myself Use study guideStudy session with teacher Study flash cardsMemorize/rehearse Help students create a study plan for tests: ◦ 4 days before test.. ◦ 3 days before test… ◦ 2 days before test… ◦ 1 day before test…

Tests Continued… Actively teach test-taking skills. Prepare students for the specific format of your tests (i.e., sample problems). During testing, cue students about pacing, particularly at the beginning of the year & with freshmen. ◦ Start Time: ◦ Stop Time: ◦ You have 15 minutes left. You should be near problem #14.

References Dawson, P. & Guare, R. (2010). Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents. New York: Guildord Press. Dawson, P. & Guare, R. (2009). Smart but Scattered. New York: Guilford Press. Isquith, P.K. (2011, October). Executive Function in Children & Adolescents: Concepts and Assessment. Presentation at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, IL.