New Year, New Tools: Unlocking Executive Function to Support Every Learner

As we step into a new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how we can better support the diverse learners in our classrooms. With inclusion remaining a priority, many teachers face the challenge of meeting a wide range of needs without feeling they are running around the classroom playing a version of whack-a-mole as student after student requires different sorts of support! One promising approach is to focus on something we all have in common - executive function (EF)—the mental processes that help students plan, organise, and manage tasks effectively.

What is Executive Function, and Why Does It Matter?

Executive function includes three core components: working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. Under these are a number of skills and processes that you will recognise as critical to good learning—prioritising, planning, organising, keeping emotions under control (self-regulation), task initiation, focusing attention, shifting perspectives, problem-solving, and time management.

Every single one of these in some capacity or another helps all of us achieve our goals—whether that be a big one, like training to successfully run a marathon, a medium-sized one like passing an exam, or a more immediate goal such as answering a question in class. These skills underpin so many aspects of learning and behaviour in school, but also our own! For neurodiverse learners, including those with ADHD, dyslexia, or autism, EF difficulties can create barriers to academic success and classroom participation. However, EF isn’t just a concern for students with identified needs—all learners benefit from strategies that strengthen executive function skills.

Simple Ways to Assess EF Strengths and Weaknesses

Understanding where students may struggle with EF doesn’t require complex testing. Informal observations can provide valuable insights. Notice patterns—who forgets homework, struggles to start tasks, or has difficulty switching between activities? Quick self-assessment tools and questionnaires can also help students reflect on their own strengths and areas for improvement.

Remember these are not used to diagnose other disorders—executive function strengths and weaknesses are something we all have! It’s super important to know they are fluid (they change with attitude, motivation, and even the amount of sleep and types of food we eat!).

Practical Strategies and Tools to Boost Executive Function in the Classroom

Starting the year with a focus on EF can be empowering for both teachers and students. If I was starting afresh with a new class,

here is what I would do:

1. Explain to my class "how they learn" – Yes—the hard-core stuff… a combination of neuroscience and cognitive science, in an age-appropriate way! Every single student and teacher I interviewed for my research could NOT tell me how we learn! But isn’t it what learning and teaching is based on?

2. Outline what executive function is – Show them the movie I made, put up posters—just get used to talking about the language of EF!

3. Get to know our own EF levels! – Complete an evaluation tool—NOT an assessment tool, but some form of self-report that helps learners understand what executive function skills look like for them! Clue: we are all the same but different!

I wouldn’t do this all on the same day—or even week—but this would be my intentional and purposeful introduction to starting an EF-informed and literate classroom.

Why EF Strategies Matter for Inclusion

Building executive function skills creates a foundation for independence and self-confidence, particularly for neurodiverse learners. Instead of relying on diagnostic labels, EF offers a potential universal framework that addresses shared challenges, making inclusion more manageable.

When you ask the whole class what barriers to learning they might experience when starting the task you set, you open the floor to everyone experiencing difficulties, not just those children who you assume struggle with those things.

A Fresh Start for 2025

Whether you’re new to EF or already embedding executive function strategies, January is the ideal time to refresh your approach. Supporting EF development doesn’t just benefit students—it can also reduce teacher workload by creating more structured, self-directed learning environments.

Looking for more ideas? Stay tuned for upcoming posts on inclusive strategies, bias awareness, and digital tools for supporting ASN students. Let’s make 2025 the year we unlock every learner’s potential!