High School Executive Function Tutoring

high-school

Executive Functioning Skills for High School Students

In high school, expectations increase with a higher level of independence, management, and study skills required. Students have numerous subjects and teachers all with their own assignments, tests, and due dates on top of balancing a social life, digital distractions, and extracurriculars. It’s also the point when students are preparing to apply to college. It’s easy to see why executive functioning challenges can seem more obvious at this time in your child’s life.

Perhaps your teenager waits until the last minute to complete assignments, forgets to do their homework, or does poorly on tests even after studying. Organizational Tutors can help. We can match your high school student with an experienced executive functioning tutor to create an individualized plan that sets your student up for success. 

Areas We Address

Every high school student is unique and we create personalized plans to achieve their individual needs and goals. In general, some of the key skills we help high school students develop include:

Organization and Planning

Organization and Planning

Students will develop an array of strategies helping them to plan, organize, and prioritize their work effectively. All students are encouraged to use a calendar and/or planner system as well as filing systems to organize school materials. With these organization tools in place, students will learn how to sequence daily assignments, break down multi-step instructions into small steps, and develop systems to plan and track long-term projects.

Self-Regulation

Self-Regulation

Students will utilize mindfulness and research-based emotion regulation skills to help identify and successfully navigate feelings of anxiety, sadness, and frustration as it relates to school-work. Having a clear and calm mind is essential for learning and productivity!

Time Management

Time Management

Students will develop strategies to help them manage their time. Students will begin by developing awareness of time through monitoring how long it takes them to complete different tasks. With practice, students will be able to estimate the time they need to complete a task with greater accuracy. Students will use time estimates when planning their work to ensure that their goals are realistic and achievable.

Task Initiation and Focus

Task Initiation and Focus

Students will utilize skills to help them initiate assignments, decrease procrastination, and improve sustained focus. To target task initiation and procrastination, students will learn how to break down assignment instructions and create step-by-step plans for how to complete each assignment. Students will also develop the awareness and tools to combat the underlying causes of procrastination. To help stay on task, students will learn to enhance their focus by using a timer system to create personalized work and break periods.

Executive Functioning Coaching Toolbox

We create a customized program that meets each student’s specific needs and goals. We take the time to gain an understanding of where the challenges lie and what their impact is on the individual, school, and home settings before building an effective plan that addresses the underlying issues. Our tutors use a variety of methods to help strengthen a high school student’s executive functioning skills.

Strategies may include:

1

Identifying the subject matter or types of tasks that the student tends to lack the motivation to start. Developing a system for proactively facing these tasks so they transform from a source of procrastination/avoidance and/or dread to something the student just handles in a timely way and then moves on
2

Supporting the student in managing their time efficiently and effectively. Typically, high school students have many competing demands on their time: academics, extracurricular activities, social commitments, volunteering, maybe a part time job, preparing for exams like the SAT/ACT, and readying other components of their college application
3

Encouraging cognitive flexibility: working on applying skills and concepts learned to different contexts; aiming for the ability to handle transitions without disruption (e.g., smoothly transitioning from one subject to another in school; dealing with the unexpected)
4

Examining with the student how they think and learn; helping them reflect on what they think are their strengths and areas for improvement; working with them to improve upon their ability to keep tabs on what learning strategies work best for them, what resources they have available to them, and how ready they feel for a task
5

Identifying mindfulness and wellness exercises that appeal particularly to the student’s interests and personality; discussing implementing them as breaks to re-focus and re-fuel, particularly during lengthy or more challenging tasks that require sustained attention
6

Coaching the student on ways to self-regulate and manage strong feelings they may deal with in their academic lives (e.g., stakes are high with college admissions on the horizon)
7

Devising a system for keeping up with the organization of multiple physical and electronic areas: living space at home, locker, portable storage like backpacks and athletic bags, electronic devices used for assignments (electronic folder directory, standardized system for naming files so that they are easily recognizable and retrievable when needed)
8

Collaborating on a system for prioritization of assignments; guiding the student in breaking down larger and/or longer-term assignments into parts and in planning out the work and timeline for completion of the components
9

Optimizing calendar, planner, and reminder systems together

Ultimately, we want to empower your high school student to excel both academically and personally. Our goal is to help students independently apply skills rather than having them rely on a coach long term. This approach sets them up for a successful transition to college, and the skills they develop will benefit them throughout their entire lives.

Interested in executive functioning tutoring for your child? Connect with a coach today.

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