1. Flexing Prefrontal Cortex Skills
Teaching Ideas for Cognitive
& Emotional Skill Development

2. TEACHING Planning Build the habit of “think” before “do”.
Verbalize plans for action before doing.
Helping students to construct goals (short-term and long-term).
Refer back to beginning of the year “getting to know you activities” and note progress.
Use a template to chart plan. (Can be individual or collaborative.)
Giving students a moment to think about what their plans are before going off to do something.
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3. TEACHING Organization
Establish a clear understanding about the purpose and reason for doing this project, activity, etc.
Provide time to think about what is needed to be successful (materials, partners, place to work). What does one have & what does one need to gather/select.
Consider the behaviors one needs to be successful
Prethink how one might respond if a problem is encountered
Use folders, note-taking, calendaring, graphic organizers, etc.
Routines and procedures – the why’s & how they support the success
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4. TEACHING Time Management
Model chunking of assignment.
Set the stage to ensure everyone gets off to a good start.
Provide reminders/cues to students about how much time has passed.
Build stamina to sustain for longer periods of time.
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5. IMPROVING Working Memory
Have students repeat back what was just said (especially for multi-step directions)
Use visual cues
Chunk information into smaller bits (phone numbers)
Use mnemonic devices (ROY G BIV)
Make it multisensory (Act it out)
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6. TEACHING Self-monitoring
Provide check-in times
Pause for reflection & metacognition – how am I doing; what worked or didn’t and why
Use exit tickets
Establish and use “safe spaces”
Teach strategies for self-calming (breathing, pausing)
Build a growth mindset – viewing mistakes as opportunity to learn
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7. TEACHING Impulse Control
In Motion/Classroom brain breaks
Setting timer for transitioning – build on natural competitiveness
Practice ignoring distractions & building stamina
Teach calming strategies & encourage them to suggest them to peers.
Put on blinders (limit peripheral vision); use binoculars (focus)
Practice songs, such as Bingo, where children have to suppress saying the name of the letter and clapping instead
Teach putting a moment between the impulse and the action
Community reflection on what happens when we don’t control ourselves
Recognition for when were able to do something that couldn’t do before
One group of kids focuses on coloring within the lines ignoring the distraction of other children bouncing balloons in the air around them. Children alternate roles
Walking on a string, holding something in a spoon while kids are distracting you..morphs into normal things like walking on a string to wash your hands and ignoring peers who are not doing what is asked
Lego blocks (lock them together carefully); unit blocks (stack them so the building is sturdy); building with clay (squeeze just enough, but not too much to make a bird's egg), regulating the amount of paint in an easel brush (dip brush in cup of paint and push on side of can to remove excess paint).
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8. TEACHING Regulation of Emotions
Recognize and honor feelings - genuine-nesss and authenticity
Create of safe spaces
Proactive anticipation and response to things and times that might be difficult for children (not all going to get a turn; schedule change)
Teach emotional literacy so students are able to recognize and talk about a broad range of feelings
Select a face that best matches your mood.
Use of literature, puppets, etc. to explore feelings and responses
Engage in reflective conversations about how could you have handled this in a different way. Practice the more suitable response.
Have reflective conversations about what can we individually and collectively to support you to be the person you want to be
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9. Teaching flexibility
Young brain needs adults to act in ways that honor the child’s rights to desire, hope, explore and show preferences while also helping the child learn to honor the similar right of others.
Prepare children in advance for upcoming change
Taking turns (games, jobs, roles, etc.)
Establish a classroom atmosphere of valuing different perspectives, different ways to solve problems, different answers, different ways to do things
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10. Teaching Task initiation
Release controlling everything – intentionally find ways to provide student autonomy
Engage in collaborative ventures (adult-student; student-student)
Create a risk-free environment to build confidence in students that their thoughts and ideas are valued and important;
Offer rraise for showing initiative
Teach and use the “thinking skills” in the first column
Establish an environment where the classroom is a place for investigation
Offering choices
Use engaging topics that interest and motivate students
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11. TEACHING Persistence Teach emotional regulation Value effort
Recognize and praise progress towards a goal
Establishing a growth mindset - Not born smart, get smart by continuously working at something
Keep in mind the Zone of Proximal Development – balance of challenge and success
Emphasize how putting forth effort will get you where you want to go
. When children regulate uncomfortable emotions, they can relax and focus on learning cognitive skills. Similarly, children experience better emotional regulation when they replace thoughts like “I’m not good at this” with thoughts like “This is difficult, but I can do it if I keep trying.” Regulating anxiety and thinking helps children persist in challenging activities, which increases their opportunities to practice the skills required for an activity.
Big shots are only little shots who kept on shooting!
FirstSchool2016