This book presents research-based strategies for helping students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally by harnessing the dynamic interplay of executive function (EF) and emotional regulation. The expert editors and contributors--including EF pioneer Lynn Meltzer--explain how teachers can support EF and emotional regulation in their daily classroom practice with all learners, including neurodiverse students. Chapters describe innovative ways to build students’ ability to set goals, think flexibly, stay on task, and manage their behavior, alongside crucial capacities for reducing anxiety and stress. Case vignettes illustrate how the interventions discussed help to enhance student engagement while fostering resilience and independent learning.
Table of Contents:
I. Rethinking Education: Integrating Executive Function and Emotional Regulation into Teaching
1. Transforming Classrooms: Preparing Students to Succeed in a Complex World, Lynn Meltzer & Julie Dunstan
2. Metacognition: The Spark for Igniting Students’ Ability to Learn How to Learn, Lynn Meltzer, Laurel Black, & Taylor McKenna
3. Promoting Emotional Intelligence to Build Effective Schools, Laura Bond, Maurice J. Elias, Richard Cohen, Lauren Fullmer, & Andrea Sadow
4. Nurturing Resilience, Executive Function, and Tenacity in the Classroom, Sam Goldstein & Robert B. Brooks
II. Executive Function and Emotional Regulation in Neurodiverse Learners
5. Strategies for Addressing Anxiety and Stress in the Classroom, Alexandra Allen-Barrett, Donna B. Pincus, Kristine Lee, Alyssa Farley, Rachel Merson, Anamika Dutta, & Jennifer Greif Green
6. Learning Difficulties: Fostering Motivation, Passion, and Drive, Hillary Bush & Ellen Braaten
7. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Executive Function Strategies for Building Self-Awareness, Self-Efficacy, and Social Awareness, Sucheta Kamath
8. Math Anxiety: Transforming Mindsets and Boosting Engagement in Mathematics, Julie Dunstan & Juliet Pearman
III. Fostering a Schoolwide Culture of Strategic Learning and Engagement
9. Reading Instruction: Executive Function and Self-Regulation Processes That Promote Differentiated Literacy Outcomes, Kelly B. Cartwright, Ana Taboada Barber, & Erica Neal
10. The SMARTS Approach: Going Beyond the Three R’s to Foster Reasoning, Regulation, and Resilience, Lynn Meltzer, Michael Greschler, & Shelly Levy
11. Emotional Regulation for All Students: Using Collaborative Problem Solving to Build Social−Emotional Skills, J. Stuart Ablon & Hallie Carpenter
12. Flexible Mindsets Schools: Opening the Window to Equitable Learning Opportunities, Julie Dunstan, Susannah Cole, Stephanie Guthman, & Mark Amaral
Index
About the Author :
Lynn Meltzer, PhD, is President and Co-Founder of the Research Institute for Learning and Development (ResearchILD) in Lexington, Massachusetts. Since the 1980s, her clinical work, research, publications, and presentations have focused on understanding the complexity of learning and attention differences. Dr. Meltzer is founder and Program Chair of the annual Executive Function and Learning Differences Conference, which she established in 1984. A Fellow and past president of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, she served for 30 years as an Associate in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Child Development at Tufts University. Dr. Meltzer has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international conferences, and has received many awards, including the Outstanding Researcher Award from the Council for Learning Disabilities and the Innovative Program of the Year Award from Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD). Together with her ResearchILD colleagues, she has developed SMARTS, an evidence-based executive function curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school students that is used bv schools in 48 states across the United States and in 38 countries worldwide (www.smarts-ef.org).
Julie Dunstan, PhD, is a psychologist, author, and consultant. She has conducted policy research in areas including child development, family needs, learning differences, and general education, and has lectured at the undergraduate and graduate levels in psychology, education, and organizational development. Dr. Dunstan has presented internationally at professional conferences and research-based symposia. She has driven the development of several cutting-edge educational initiatives and programs, including the ICAN Program for children with math-related learning difficulties, the I-PLAY Preschool Program that boosts phonological skills, the Pirates of Pondering Program that builds the early foundation for executive function processes, and the 3C’s for Changemakers program. She is committed to equipping learners with the tools they need to respond adaptively and resiliently to the adversity of today’s complex and ever-changing world. Dr. Dunstan sees herself as a changemaker who strives to transform mindsets and create environments that nurture investigators, innovators, and inspirers. She is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Review :
“This book masterfully bridges the science of EF, emotional regulation, and motivation, with practical strategies educators can use every day. True success--academic, social, and emotional--comes not just from intelligence, but from the ability to manage emotions, navigate challenges, and think with flexibility. The tools in these pages empower educators to create classrooms where students build confidence, resilience, and a sense of purpose, turning learning into a journey of growth and meaningful achievement for every child."--Marc A. Brackett, PhD, Professor in the Child Study Center and Founding Director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Yale University
“Meltzer and Dunstan present an important and timely book with a unique focus--integrating EF and emotional self-regulation in the classroom. The contributors show how to address these critical capacities across grade levels and educational settings. Throughout the chapters, detailed examples of assessment of students’ strengths and needs in EF and emotional self-regulation are provided. Strategies for recognizing and managing emotional responses tied to learning and EF are shared, and student outcomes highlighted. This groundbreaking book will assist researchers, teacher educators, and teachers in developing learners who can achieve both academic success and emotional well-being.”--Karen R. Harris, EdD, Regents Professor Emeritus and Research Professor, Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation, Arizona State University
“This outstanding volume brings together leading voices in education and psychology to advance our understanding of the critical role of EF and emotional regulation in the classroom. Spanning metacognition, resilience, neurodiversity, and schoolwide culture, chapters chart a vision for transformative practice grounded in science. This book will appeal to scholars seeking a rich foundation for future research on student achievement. A 'must read' for teachers, school leaders, and anyone committed to creating classrooms where all learners thrive.”--Stephanie M. Carlson, PhD, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Associate Director, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota-
