Page 10 - EdViewptsSpring2021

students who accessed instructional The student component of the
support classes. The data obtained program included engagement with Affording students the
underscored the need to address the curriculum and consultation opportunity to reflect,
three specific areas of weakness – sessions with the student, parents,
organization, prioritization, and task learning consultant and behaviorist. explore and speak
initiation. Students were experiencing The instructional sessions consisted about self-identified
difficulty organizing their assignments, of didactic and hands-on learning areas of concern pro-
schedules, and materials, as well as components. Specifically, three
initiating assignments and prioritizing separate PowerPoint presentations vided a level of con-
school demands. Skill building in were created to individually targeting textual relevance that
these areas could prove beneficial not organization, task initiation, and
only during this difficult time period in prioritization, and were used to would not have existed
children’s educational development develop students’ foundational if the organizational
but also throughout their academic knowledge. Hands-on activities were strategies were taught
careers and personal lives. The incorporated throughout the lessons
district’s learning consultant and providing students the opportunity to in isolation.
behaviorist consulted with teachers to learn general strategies to address
discuss the program’s objectives and weaknesses. specific resource packets regarding
to glean a realistic view regarding the While viewing the presentation and organizational skills, task initiation and
‘how to’ of program implementation. interacting with general strategies, prioritization to help with generalization
This was a critical next step in gaining students were asked to think about and carry-over into the home learning
stakeholder investment. Another and identify specific examples of how environment. These parental packets
essential component was to build each area might be impacting their were individualized and sent home
parents’ knowledge base and deepen participation in learning. For example, in the mail. Consultative sessions
their understanding of the skills that during the first lesson that addressed with the parent and child were set
were targeted for instruction. organizational skills, one student up to explore the content of the
A 45-minute parent workshop was cited the lack of structure regarding lessons, share areas of concern that
delivered in order to provide an the folders that were created on her were identified by the student, and
overview of Get Ready and G.O.! laptop. Thus, the class explored explore strategies and techniques
and the basic underlying theoretical the different ways folders could be that were brainstormed during the
constructs of executive functioning. organized, how information within lesson. As a result of interacting with
However, this presentation was not folders could be grouped and what “The Executive Skills Questionnaire,”
merely enough, as we wanted to combinations might provide better parents were aware of their own
encourage a deeper understanding organizational clarity. weaknesses and were able to use
of the concepts at hand. In the book Affording students the opportunity the session to ask for targeted
Smart but Scattered, authors Peg to reflect, explore and speak about support. The learning consultant and
Dawson and Richard Guare discussed self-identified areas of concern behaviorist conducted follow-up visits
the importance of parental support provided a level of contextual to the classes to observe whether or
in the development of children’s relevance that would not have existed not the students were implementing
executive functioning skills. According if the organizational strategies were the strategies. Finally, parents had
to the authors, parents should identify taught in isolation. The interchange access to additional consultation
the “goodness of fit” between their between the students was supportive sessions to further explore and hone
executive functioning patterns and and exploratory in nature. Increased strategies.
that of their child. Following the student interest and participation Stakeholder self-evaluation and active
authors’ recommendation, Dawson led to the expansion of pre-existing participation is the cornerstone of this
and Guare’s “Executive Skills techniques, the exploration of new program. First, teachers and parents
Questionnaire for Parents” was strategies and the honing of skills. were asked to identify areas of need
distributed to parents. Additionally, Students were not told what to do but during this unprecedented time in
an adapted version of the “Executive rather were provided with an array of educational history where a variety
Skills Questionnaire for Children options and asked to explore which of learning platforms were being
- Middle School Version (Grades strategies presented a “goodness of used for the delivery of education.
6-8)” was distributed to students. fit” for their learning and organization Second, parent and student self-
The results of both surveys were styles. evaluation of strengths and weakness
then compiled and compared. was foundational in deepening
This additional self-evaluative step Knowing that self-awareness is the understanding. Students explored and
proved instrumental in deepening first step to building skills and that identified their own specific areas of
parental understanding and building new habits need time and support weaknesses and their peers assisted
stakeholder involvement. to germinate, the program provided in brainstorming possible strategies
additional scaffolding. After each to target these weaknesses. Students
lesson, parents were afforded topic

Educational Viewpoints -8- Spring 2021