About the Book
Accessible and practical, this book helps teachers incorporate executive function processes--such as planning, organizing, prioritizing, and self-checking--into the classroom curriculum. Chapters provide effective strategies for optimizing what K-12 students learn by improving how they learn. Noted authority Lynn Meltzer and her research associates present a wealth of easy-to-implement assessment tools, teaching techniques and activities, and planning aids. Featuring numerous whole-class ideas and suggestions, the book also shows how to differentiate instruction for students with learning or attention difficulties. Case examples illustrate individualized teaching strategies and classroom accommodations. More than a dozen reproducibles are included; the large-size format facilitates photocopying and day-to-day reference. Purchasers also get access to a webpage where they can download and print the reproducible materials.
See also Meltzer's edited volume, Executive Function in Education, Second Edition, which presents state-of-the-art knowledge on the role of EF in learning across the content areas.
Table of Contents:
I. Understanding Executive Function: The Challenge for 21st-Century Teachers
1. Understanding, Assessing, and Teaching Executive Function Processes: The Why, What, and How, Lynn Meltzer
2. Creating a Classroomwide Executive Function Culture That Fosters Strategy Use, Motivation, and Resilience, Lynn Meltzer and Surina Basho
II. Scaffolding Executive Function Processes into the Curriculum Content
3. Goal Setting, Planning, and Prioritizing: The Foundations of Effective Learning, Kalyani Krishnan, Melissa J. Feller, and Melissa Orkin
4. Organizing: The Heart of Efficient and Successful Learning, Kalyani Krishnan and Melissa J. Feller
5. Remembering: Teaching Students How to Retain and Mentally Manipulate Information, Donna M. Kincaid and Nancy Trautman
6. Shifting and Flexible Problem Solving: The Anchors for Academic and Life Success, Lynn Meltzer and Jennifer Sage Bagnato
7. Self-Monitoring and Self-Checking: The Cornerstones of Independent Learning, Jennifer Sage Bagnato and Lynn Meltzer
8. Emotional Self-Regulation: A Critical Component of Executive Function, Judith A. Stein
III. Case Studies: Addressing Executive Function Weaknesses across the Grades, Lena Hannus-Suksi, Laura Sales Pollica, Wendy Stacey, Melissa J. Feller, and Jason Bendezu
Appendix: Reproducibles for the Classroom
About the Author :
Edited by Lynn Meltzer, PhD, Research Institute for Learning and Development, Lexington, MA; Harvard Graduate School of Education; and Department of Child Development, Tufts University, USA
Review :
"An excellent, detailed overview of how executive functions can be integrated into classroom instruction for all grade levels. The book is very teacher friendly, including many examples and useable forms and techniques. A major appeal of the book is its focus on creating a classroom culture that fosters executive function for all students, rather than just presenting remediation techniques for those having difficulties. The strategies for screening and ongoing assessment mean that the book can easily be used as part of a schoolwide response-to-intervention or positive behavioral support system. Each chapter follows the same format, explaining first why the area is important, and then how to implement instruction at elementary, middle, and high school levels." - Catherine A. Fiorello, School Psychology Program, Temple University, USA "This book succeeds very well in its goal of providing usable information for teachers and other school professionals. The chapters are well written, informative, clear, and practical. The case studies and numerous case examples are excellent. These human touches help to illustrate the many areas of executive functioning that can be supported and enhanced for children with disabilities as well as typically developing children." - Margaret Semrud-Clikeman, Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, Michigan State University, USA "This very readable book enables teachers to explicitly teach implicit learning skills. It balances research and practice in reminding educators that students can't master the material they need to know if we don't teach them how to do it. Meltzer shares tested strategies and abundant classroom examples. She provides necessary tools for supporting academic growth in a wide range of students, and for helping students experience the critical truth that informed effort is the key to success. This book really gets the job done!" - Carol Ann Tomlinson, William Clay Parrish, Jr. Professor and Chair, Department of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy, University of Virginia, USA
