Teaching Executive Function Skills as a School Counselor

School counselors have the unique ability to help shape students’ futures. One of the most crucial roles is teaching executive functioning skills – from goal-setting and scheduling to organizing materials and prioritizing tasks. By providing these essential lessons, we can give students the means to become independent learners who can take charge of their own destiny! It’s definitely worth exploring how we as school counselors can make this happen in our school buildings.

Developing Priorities

Help students establish priorities by teaching them the importance of planning for short-term and long-term goals. First, counselors may use different techniques such as assigning a task like “rank the following activities from most important to least important”. Or, having a discussion about why it is necessary to prioritize tasks to complete them effectively and efficiently. By helping students develop this skill, they will be able to establish what needs to be done first before moving on to other tasks that are less urgent or important.

One of the most important skills students can learn is how to prioritize their daily tasks. This skill will help them stay on track and accomplish more throughout the day. Organization and time management skills are critical for success in any field. students who can effectively prioritize their tasks are more likely to achieve their goals.

When students learn to prioritize their schoolwork, they experience a host of benefits. The ability to organize and manage their time effectively helps students better manage the workloads assigned by teachers and reach their academic goals. Additionally, students can focus more on important tasks, rather than being overwhelmed by the vast number of assignments that need to be completed.

Setting Goals

Helping students navigate their educational journey with goal-setting, is an essential part of executive functioning training. By breaking down larger tasks into realistic and attainable steps, they can stay focused on the end objective – making them proud when goals are achieved! With practice comes success: learning to set goals helps keep motivation high for whatever challenges lie ahead.

Goal setting is an important life skill that students need to learn in order to be successful. By setting realistic goals and action steps, students can better plan and manage their time, achieve their desired results, and stay on track. Additionally, goal setting helps students learn how to prioritize tasks and stay motivated.

Below is a list of 5 steps I use when teaching students how to set goals.

• 1. Define what you want
• 2. Set realistic goals
• 3. Make a plan of action
• 4. Stay motivated
• 5. Measure your progress

Organizing Materials

In order for students to make progress toward meeting their goals, they need to have an organized system for keeping track of materials related to those goals (e.g., notes from class or textbooks). Help provide guidance on how best to organize materials. Make it easier for them to access what they need when they need it. This could involve everything from color coding files and folders according to subject matter or using online tools like Google Drive. By developing organizational habits early on in life, students will have an advantage later when pursuing higher education or looking for employment opportunities.

Without executive functioning skills like goal-setting, organization, and scheduling under our belts, it’s hard to reach success in the real world. That’s why school counselors are so crucial for helping students learn these invaluable life lessons that can be applied both inside and outside of class! With some practice combined with tailored instruction, we have a chance to build strong foundations today. Foundations upon which future successes will stand tall tomorrow!

The Organization School Counseling Small Group is a perfect place to start teaching these skills today!

 

 

Want to learn more about setting goals in your counseling programs? Head over to Five Goal Setting Ideas for School Counselors and Using a Rating Scale to Set School Counseling Goals.