1 Easy Way To Encourage Positive Behavior In Your Classroom

If you read our blog from two weeks ago, you know that kids with Executive Functioning struggles tend to struggle in the classroom (if you haven't checked it out yet you can read it here). These behaviors can look like laziness and even defiance, but they stem from underdeveloped Executive Processes.

For many of these students, big tasks can overwhelm them. Luckily, there are several little things we, as educators, can do to help these students throughout the day. Today we're going to talk about one of the easiest ways to help your students:

Put your schedule on the board.

Why This Helps:

This simple act can make a world of difference for a child struggling with Executive Functioning. By understanding where they're at on the schedule and what's coming next, they can better redirect their focus to what they are working on.

This also helps with their Sustained Attention skills. If a child is easily distracted, the schedule gives them an anchor to rely on. By seeing the progress they are making through the schedule, and how much left they have to go, they have an easier time keeping focused than if they are just told that there is more coming up. (It can also save you all of the "when will we be done...." or "when is lunch" questions throughout the day).

You can use this as a teaching opportunity too! A lot of students who struggle with EF forget to write down their homework or don't know what they need to bring home each day. Build "hand in last night's homework" or "write down homework" into the schedule so students get into the habit of it. Helping them know what the homework will require them to bring home will help them too. If they need to bring home their textbook, write that on the board.

As the year goes on, ask them what they think the assignments will require and teach them how they can figure that out. The more explicit teaching you can offer your students in this area, the better.