Executive Functioning and Academic Achievement

It seems that executive functioning has become quite the buzz word lately, but at its core, executive functioning is vital for success both in and out of the classroom. Before we can discuss literacy success, we need to be talking about the executive function system.

Often, I hear parents tell me they never heard of this term until their child’s school mentioned it as an area of concern for which they needed support. When I first meet with these parents, this is the “executive functioning in a nutshell” overview I often provide:

Our executive function system is the air traffic control system in the prefrontal cortex of our brains that helps us to successfully navigate our everyday lives. Imagine an airport where flights are arriving and departing. It is critical for an air traffic control system to efficiently keep up with the hustle and bustle to avoid accidents and to help operations run smoothly. Executive function skills are vital for working toward academic success, building and maintaining personal relationships, and managing everyday tasks and responsibilities.

These are the executive function skills I focus on:

PERCEPTION & ATTENTION: Knowing what to attend to and how. There are four types of attention: sustained, selective, alternating, and divided.

COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY: Adapting to an unexpected change; also considering different perspectives in decision-making and interpreting information.

WORKING MEMORY: How we process and use information. It allows us to hold on to information while working with it. It is the mental sticky note.

ORGANIZATION: Systems that are developed to keep track of belongings, assignments, and information.

METACOGNITION: Thinking about one’s own thinking; recognizing what is unfamiliar or confusing.

TIME MANAGEMENT: Gauging the length of time a task will take, and then using that time efficiently.

PLANNING: Thinking about and anticipating the future; prioritizing an order in which to complete tasks.

TASK INITIATION: Efficiently getting started on a task. It is the opposite of procrastination.

PERSEVERANCE: Using strategies to work through challenges and frustrations to complete a task.

INHIBITION & SELF-REGULATION: Optimally managing and regulating thoughts, emotions, actions, and words.

SELF-MONITORING & SELF-EVALUATION: Checking in with ourselves to reflect on our thoughts and behaviors while making necessary changes.

Cursive: Vital or Obsolete?

A little cursive history

Cursive — an art, a skill, a necessary piece of knowledge…or is it obsolete? Once upon a time, it was expected that all students would acquire the skills to write and read cursive. It was the norm. The history of learning cursive dates back to when the quill was the only writing implement available. Quills are fragile, and cursive allowed for steady hand movements that protected the quill by not having to be lifted on and off the paper frequently. Aside from preserving the quill, ink would splatter more readily causing a mess. In 1827 the quill was slowly phased out with the invention and patent of the fountain pen — less fragile than a quill, but still having the potential to cause an inky mess. Later in the 19th century, the first ballpoint pen received its patent. This was a game changer.

The ballpoint pen was a turning point because it allowed people to write quicker and more legibly without having to continuously dip their pens in ink. This was especially important for students taking notes. Cursive remained a speedier and more formal handwriting method. However, while cursive was still a much more efficient way to produce letters, ballpoint pens didn’t require the speed of cursive writing, and it slowly began to fall out of favor.

the present day

At some point, an idea developed that children should start out their formal education by forming letters the way they read them in books. They could learn cursive later on, after block print had been established. We have now turned a corner with the access nearly all students have to word processing devices. Many schools have done away with cursive, moving students to the keyboard. But are these students missing out on an important skill?

In her extensively researched book (affiliate link) The Two-Digit Revolution, Celia Batan explores the ways in which cursive influences brain development and learning. She writes, “It shapes the executive functions of the brain for successful academic performance while enhancing creative and critical thinking practices required for meaningful interpretations of what we see.” She also points out some other problems cursive solve that may persist for students such as letter reversal and improper spacing.

one skill, different impacts

The year I taught in a third grade classroom I worked with a teacher who created cursive licenses for students as they completed a cursive program that culminated in a cursive test. The license was almost like a replica of a drivers license, complete with each student’s picture and signature. After it was laminated, students proudly put their cursive licenses in their wallets, right next to their bus passes and MetroCards. (We lived in New York City.) That license was a third grade rite of passage. For many students, cursive was a confidence builder. It gave them another skill they could feel proud of. But there were several students for whom cursive had an even greater impact.

Student #1: The Student with Illegible Handwriting

One of my students struggled immensely with his fine motor skills. His handwriting was evidence. Poor letter formation, letters too large for the lines, and improper spacing, all of which made his writing look illegible. Worst of all, he was embarrassed because he often struggled to read his own writing, and so did others. Handwriting was physically challenging for him even after years of occupational therapy. He dreaded the idea of learning cursive. Instead, he was in for quite the pleasant surprise. Cursive was not only easier, but his handwriting became more legible. And he enjoyed it. Having a swift and constant flow without having to repeatedly lift up his pencil made things a whole lot easier. This wasn’t the case for every student, but it made a difference for this boy.

Student #2: The Artist

Cursive is not just a means of communication. It’s a form of art. Many may not agree, but one of my very artistic students sure did! She saw this newfound skill as a way to enhance her art work.

Student #3: The Budding Historian

Over a school break, one of my students and his family went to Washington, DC. When he returned, he couldn’t stop raving about his trip and all of the sites and museums he visited. The highlight of it all? When he exclaimed, “I learned cursive just in time to read some old letters in one of the museums, and a little bit of the Constitution!”

STUDENT #4: The Traveler

Cursive is required for something as mundane as singing your name on identification. Sure, you can teach a child how to write and connect only the letters in their name. But it’s a splinter skill. A skill that can only be used when signing one’s name. The student is not actually learning how to write in cursive — how to form and connect letters, and to read what others write. One student was preparing for an international trip, and upon receiving her first passport, was thrilled to share that she was able to sign her name because “I just knew how to write the letters together!”

Student #5: The Pen Pal

Upon receiving her cursive license, a student was beaming from ear to ear. “You know, my grandmother will ONLY write me letters in cursive! Now, not only will I be able to read them, but I can write her back too!” The ability for this child to write and read in cursive, gave her membership to a special club in which she could bond with her grandmother in a way she had never been able to before.

Cursive enriched the lives of these students in important ways. While cursive was essential for practical reasons centuries ago, it is essential in different ways today. Do you teach or plan to teach cursive to a young learner?

Come Join the MW LITERACY® Instagram Community

Sign up here for bite-sized doses of professional development delivered to your inbox each week.

The Power of Mnemonic Devices

A few years ago I was taking my kids to a local sports center for swim lessons. Admittedly, I don’t have the best sense of direction (the GPS, in my opinion, is one of the best inventions EVER). To get to this place, I needed to make a turn off of a busy (5-lane) main road onto another road. The turn happened at one of three gas stations clustered near one another along that road, but I needed to be ready and signal to get into the left turning lane so I wouldn’t miss the turn. Initially, I kept forgetting at which gas station that turn happened.

Mnemonic device to the rescue!

The gas station that I needed to turn at was a Shell station. A ha! Shells are by the water (ok, the beach – but still, the water). The pool is the water where the kids swim. This was my mnemonic device. Of course when I finally told my husband, he couldn’t stop laughing. Who cares? As I tell my students, if it works for you, THAT’S what matters.

Mnemonic devices are a fantastic way to remember important information, whether for everyday life (getting your kids to swim!) or for academic purposes. They are powerful tools — or tricks — that help you to recall or remind yourself of information with greater facility. They are especially beneficial for students with learning disabilities or working memory and other executive functioning challenges, but can and SHOULD be used to support every student’s learning. They encourage deeper engagement with the learning material and improved long-term memory of the content. And let’s face it, mnemonic devices can also be quite fun.

The top five way to incorporate mnemonic devices into daily life include:

  1. Rhymes

  2. Visualizations

  3. Acronyms

  4. Associations

  5. Short stories

If you love new mnemonic devices as much as I do as a way to help your students (or even yourself!) remember certain literacy-related content, hop on over to my Instagram page where I will be periodically sharing ideas in my stories.

What are some of your best mnemonic devices?