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Executive Functions

Last newsletter I talked about Executive Functions for students. Everyone has executive functions, and research shows that these are continually developing into adulthood. 

There are three executive functions

impulse control - is the ability to pause and think before you act, to overcome the strong inclination to do one thing in order to do what is most appropriate or needed.

working memory - is the ability to hold or maintain information in your mind’s eye and mentally manipulate that information.

cognitive flexibility - is the ability to flexibly adjust to changed demands, priorities or perspectives.

How do we enhance our executive functions? Here are some tips to help enhance these three functions.

Look Closely - If you start to look closely at yourself and the world around you then you will start to notice things, maybe things you have never seen or thought of before.  You will get a better appreciation for the complexity and beauty of things around you.  You may start to see patterns, connections and relationships, these are very important in developing your executive functioning further. (Executive Function - Empowering Local Learners Project)

Stop and Think - When you begin to look closely you begin to notice a lot of things, this is where you need to stop and think.  You may notice that you skip questions or see patterns or understand that when there are certain distractions, not as much work is completed.  Stopping and thinking allows you to turn poor choices into good ones and good choices into great ones. (Executive Function - Empowering Local Learners Project)

Exercise - Exercise is great for the brain, and studies have shown some strong links between exercising and the development of executive functions. (Executive Function - Empowering Local Learners Project)

Challenge Yourself - Setting yourself challenges and complex tasks to complete is great in building both impulse control and cognitive flexibility.  In challenging yourself you are going to build a much deeper understanding of whatever it is you are taking.  However in taking on complex and challenging tasks you are not likely to be successful the first time, you are likely to stumble, to fail, to hit a roadblock that you find it difficult to get past.  It is at this time that your impulse control and flexible thinking kick in.  If it is a goal or a task that you are committed to achieving then in these times of difficulty you will need to also find ways to overcome that difficulty.​ (Executive Function - Empowering Local Learners Project)

Try Another Way​ - If you are challenging yourself, it is likely that you will fail, and not just once, you are likely to have a number of setbacks along the way.  It is important to realise that those mistakes are expected, they always are when learning something complex or new, what matters however is what you do next. If something you tried doesn't work it doesn't mean you will never be able to do it, it just means that you may need to try to find another way of approaching the problem. (Executive Function - Empowering Local Learners Project)

For  more information please visit Executive Function - Empowering Local Learners Project or Activities Guide: Enhancing & Practicing Executive Function Skills on ways to assist and develop these executive functions.