What are executive functions?
Everything we do requires cognitive functions, whether we are moving, thinking, feeling, or something else entirely. As we become more familiar with those tasks, they require less cognitive effort. For example, learning to knit takes a lot of concentration until you get the hang of it...then, you can knit while streaming your favourite show.
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It's not just for knitting. After a few years of settling into a new routine, we respond to our world in automatic ways, without being fully conscious of it. We respond to our world through easy patterns of behaviour. ​​​In that way, we are on "auto-pilot." ​
It might be strange to think of your day as being on “automatic pilot” but that is exactly how top researchers like Diamond (2013) describes us. And that is why there are times we need to grab the steering wheel and change our course.
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When we do that—grab the steering wheel—we are practicing an important skill. Our ability to override our first inclination is one of the most important executive function skills. But, it is not always easy. Actually, it's not usually easy. Sometimes we get so locked into our behaviour patterns that it's difficult to change. The good news is that we can train and develop those skills, at any stage of life!
Creating lesson plans about executive function is a great way to help students understand themselves, and it is also an excellent way to fulfill curricular standards (e.g., Alberta Health and Life Skills [K–9], Career and Life Management [Senior High]).
Click on the images below to learn more about executive function
