What Does an Executive Function Coach do?

“Executive function” has been percolating in education circles for a while, having first emerged from neuropsychological research in the 1970s (e.g., Barkley, et al.) focused on the pre-frontal cortex. It has since morphed into a term with myriad meanings and uses, often tied to early childhood development. In this article, we’ll break down what executive functioning is, then examine what an executive function coach does. Let’s start with what executive functioning is.

Your Brain’s Mission Control 

Executive functioning (EF) is the practice of self-regulation comprising memory, cognitive flexibility, and control. Another way to think of EF is your ability to direct your attention to the right things, at the right time, and in the right way. Rather than describing a particular skill or cognitive capacity—are you good at algebra or reading comprehension or abstract thinking?—it represents more of a mental mission control. If your student doesn’t perform well in school but otherwise manifests as capable and intelligent, deficits in executive functioning may be a factor.

The early research shows that most children make a significant leap in their executive functioning between ages 3 and 5, but more recent work suggests that EF development also occurs during one’s early teens and twenties. This happens to correlate with some of the most significant changes in one’s educational life, as well: the transition from middle to high school and into college. Both involve a leap not just in terms of the variety and depth of content students encounter, but also in the personal responsibility teachers expect. Without strong executive function skills, students easily feel overwhelmed and powerless to navigate the new demands. This can be especially demoralizing for students who suddenly find themselves struggling in subjects they previously excelled at with little effort.

The important thing to remember is that students with weak executive functioning don’t necessarily struggle at the level of intellectual understanding or even the desire to learn. Instead, it’s about their ability to regulate their capacities relative to their circumstances and goals. For instance: 

• Can you take a concept you learned in one setting and apply it in a new one? 

• Can you move beyond your initial struggle with a task and try another way? 

• Can you prioritize between tasks and adjust your expectations to suit your circumstances?

It’s also important to remember that the executive functions are a set of skills rarely taught to students. Successful students will often develop strong executive function skills without necessarily thinking about it. And if you’re not doing well in school, or if it feels like you’re falling short of your potential, it’s easy to simply double down on existing practices, ingest more content, or direct your efforts to “working harder” (whatever that means). But a deliberate effort to build executive functioning might be a better route.

How Coaching Improves EF

This is where an executive function coach comes in. They help you identify your weaknesses and develop tools and strategies to strengthen your executive functioning. This often begins with reflecting on how (and not just what) you learn:

• your pre-reflective habits and deliberate practices

• your experience of learning, including what’s been successful and what hasn’t

• the role rest, exercise, and stress play in your ability to focus

• environmental controls

• and much more!

Coaches can then introduce and model particular ways to adapt your practices, or develop new ones, to suit whatever goals you may have. This means an executive function coach will not spend time teaching content specific to a subject. Rather, EF coaching involves teaching you how to be a better learner. In that spirit, EF coaching is a more holistic approach to improving your academic abilities, fully grounded in sound pedagogy. This is exactly the approach we take with our North Avenue Guide to Study Skills, which guides students through a spectrum of instruction, reflection, and exercises that address students exactly where they’re at to take them where they want to be.

Even though substantive executive function development occurs at a few particular junctures, you can develop better executive functioning at any age. Remember: it’s a learned set of skills, not an inherent ability. And because executive functioning isn’t specific to a subject or even to school itself, it’s a skillset that stands to benefit you well beyond your life as a student.

To learn more about working with an executive function coach, contact our team.