Self-management for

home learning

The new home learning environment places a great emphasis on the student’s self-management skills (executive function skills). Home learning requires self-regulation, flexibility and sustained focus. There is also a great demand for organization, planning and prioritizing as students are expected to complete the majority of work at home apart from online class sessions requiring independent working and self-management. Home learning schedules whether guided by school or parent directed should allow for inclusion of diversified curriculum. By providing diverse adjustments needed, this will further support and equip students to better develop self-sufficiency and adaptability skills.”

The Social Mind Center team is equipping families with tools to address this increasing need by providing executive function skill coaching sessions. We are offering 8 sessions ( 1 hour) package which includes:

1. Assessment & report with recommendations

2. Implementation session: strategies & system to support building of skills

3. Monitor sessions & support (6) - in these sessions which can be divided in 30 minute increments will assist in evolving or expanding the system to assist student in independently self-managing. For some clients the shorter and more frequent sessions are more effective.

4. Cost is $599.00 for 8 (hour) sessions. Sessions are effective when broken down into 30 minute increments allowing for more frequent follow up.

Executive Function is a set of mental processes that have to do with managing oneself and one’s resources in order to achieve a goal and involves mental control and self-regulation.

• Working memory: holding information in mind while performing tasks

• Cognitive flexibility: to move freely from one situation to another and to think flexibly in order to respond appropriately to situation (adapt}

  • helps us to sustain or shift attention in response to different demands or to apply different rules in different settings.

• Inhibitory control (includes self-control) : the ability to stop one’s own behavior at the appropriate time, including stopping actions and thoughts

  • enables us to set priorities and resist impulsive actions or responses

Executive function skills resulting from the above three mental processes:

• attention/focus

• emotional regulation control

• self-monitoring

• task initiation

• organization

• planning /prioritizing

How executive function weaknesses can impact learning:

“ In school, at home or in the workplace, we're called on all day to self-regulate behavior. This is a challenge for people with executive functioning challenges. Here are some signs to look for:

• Difficulty in planning and completing projects

• Problems understanding how long a project will take to complete

• Struggling with telling a story in the right sequence with important details and minimal irrelevant details

• Trouble communicating details in an organized, sequential manner

• Problems initiating activities or tasks, or generating ideas independently

• Difficulty retaining information while doing something with it such as remembering a phone number while dialing (Logsden, 2019)”

Resources:

Logsden, Ann. Importance of Executive Function. Verywellfamily. September 16, 2019. https://www.verywellfamily.com/executive-functioning-2162084

Rodden, Janice. What is Executive Function Disorder? Additudemag. May 11, 2020; https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-executive-function-disorder-

Jericho Schools. August, 2012. Executive Functioning: A Handbook for Grades K-12; http://www.jerichoschools.org/