Executive Function & Study Skills Are Essential for Academic Success

While we assume our schools are properly preparing students for middle school, high school, and the daunting move to college, they often neglect to prioritize instruction and support in essential study strategies. Despite the crucial role well-honed study skills and excellent executive functioning (EF) play in achieving academic success, schools frequently overlook these areas.

Instead, they teach content—subjects like algebra, biology, and the history of the Constitution. It’s really quite ironic, considering the “job” of students from middle school through college is to study and do homework.

Shouldn’t somebody be teaching students how to study and manage their homework?

Here are the Five EF Areas to Foster Throughout a School Career:

1. Independence: Granting students increasing responsibilities and autonomy in their routines is an essential step to helping them transition successfully to the next level in school.
2. Planning: As students move up in grades, demands get heavier and the opportunities for distraction explode with increasing school-related and social activities.
3. Note Taking: The ability of students to take notes in a form that promotes easy recall is a vital skill.
4. Writing: Organizing thoughts and finding evidence for strong arguments is key to building a strong foundation in expository writing.
5. Identifying Information Sources: Students must assimilate information in written, verbal, and visual formats. It’s essential they become proficient in navigating the various modalities teachers use to share information.

Where Can You and Your Student Turn for Help in These Areas . . . and More?

For more than 25 years, SOS4Students has been helping middle school, high school, and college students get and stay organized, hone time management skills, improve study habits, and enhance their note-taking skills. Contact Us