6 Use tools to support executive functioning
Why is this important?
Executive functioning skills include skills to manage time, get organized, take notes and prepare for tests and assignments. These skills help students to study more effectively and are critical to their academic success. Like all skills, students can learn executive functioning skills and need to practice to improve on them. However, some students may have disabilities that impact how they learn or apply these skills. Using tools that support executive functioning can help to minimize frustration and anxiety. This, in turn, can help students stay motivated throughout their learning journey.
Here are two types of tools you can use to support the executive functioning of all students:
- Time management tools
- Mind/concept mapping tools
Time management tools
Calendar and checklists are great tools to breakdown tasks, manage time and track progress. Adding class times, important dates and deadlines on a calendar help students to easily keep track and plan tasks. Similarly, checklists can help students accomplish tasks in a timely manner, keep them on task, and hold them accountable for their learning.
Did you know? eCentennial already has Calendar and Checklist tools you can use. With the Calendar tool, you can link course content and learning activities/assignments to calendar items making it easier for students to navigate to related information. The Checklist tool can be used to help students keep track of the required materials, assignments, readings or tasks. It can also be used to guide them to complete tasks in a certain order. Learn more by watching the videos below or visiting the guides on Calendar and Checklist.
Use mind/concept mapping tools
Mind mapping is the process of using visual diagrams to show the relationships between ideas or information. It is commonly used for project planning, collecting and organizing thoughts, brainstorming and presentations — all in order to help solve problems, map out resources and uncover new ideas. To help students, you can provide samples, templates, guiding/prompting questions, or sentence starters.
OneNote is one of the tools you can use for mind mapping. All students and faculty with @my.centennialcollege.ca email and password can use OneNote. Watch the following video for inspiration.
