Many students struggle with executive functioning skills such as organization, planning time management, focusing, and task initiation. At Knowledge Plus Tutoring, we help students in Boca Raton and surrounding areas throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties build these important skills. Individualized executive functioning coaching can help students develop stronger organization and study skills and become more confident students.
Executive functioning coaching can help your child build these critical skills in the following ways:
Organizational Systems for Students
Many students with ADHD or executive function challenges struggle with organization and homework management. An executive functioning coach can help your child set up organizational tools and systems.
For example, if your child’s backpack is filled with papers and their desk at home is a mess, the coach can help your child set up a 3-tier organizational system.
Tier 1: Working Notebook
Tier 2: Accordion File
Tier 3: Long-Term Storage
With this system, your child selects a working notebook (tier 1), which can be either a binder or notebook/folder for each class that they take with them to school on a regular basis.
They should designate one day per week to be the “clean out my working notebook day” where they remove any papers they don’t need to be carrying with them on a regular basis and file them into an accordion file that they keep at home (tier 2).
This accordion file should contain three sections for each class: homework, notes, and tests/quizzes. At the end of the semester, if your child has created a great project or assignment that they want to keep for the long run, they should put it in an organized filing drawer (tier 3).
An executive functioning coach can also help your child learn to organize their electronic computer files if their school integrates more digital assignments.
Developing Time Management Skills
Students with executive functioning difficulties often struggle with time management. They may think a task will take more or less time than it actually does and may consistently turn in their homework assignments late. An executive functioning coach can help your child develop stronger time management skills.
One strategy they may use is the Estimated Time (ET) verses Actual Time (AT) technique. With this strategy, the student predicts how long they think a task may take to complete. For example, they may think it will take 20 minutes to complete a math worksheet. They should write down that predicted time (ET). Then they should compare it to how long it actually took to complete the task (AT).
When students with executive functioning challenges start using this strategy, there is usually a big discrepancy between the ET and AT. However, the more they use this strategy, the more realistic they become with their time, and the more those times typically start to merge.
Breaking Assignments into Smaller Steps
Students with executive functioning difficulties often become overwhelmed with long, multi-step assignments or projects. Executive functioning coaching can help them chunk tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.
For example, if as student is asked to create a report about tornados, including what they are, how they are formed, how they are measured, and unique facts about tornadoes, their inclination may be to wait until the night before this project is due to work on it.
However, an executive functioning coach can help them break this project into steps and put each step into their physical or electronic planner with specific deadlines for completing each step. In doing so, the project will become less overwhelming and more manageable, and the student will improve their homework completion, time management, and planning skills.
Learning Effective Note Taking Strategies
Executive functioning coaching can also help your child learn how to take effective notes. For example, they may learn the column-style note taking method.
With this technique, students learn to divide their page into two columns and write the topic of what they are reading at the top, the main ideas in the left column, and the important details that correspond to each main idea in the right column. They can even use highlighters to color-code the topic in one color, main ideas in a second color, and important details in a third color. This style of note taking can also be applied to in-class lectures.
Executive Function Coaching in Boca Raton
Many students in Boca Raton and the surrounding areas have difficulty with organization, time management, and planning. Executive functioning coaching can help these students develop the study and organizational strategies they need to excel in school.
Many students, both with and without ADHD, struggle with executive functioning skills. Executive functioning coaching can help your child build these important skills and thrive in school.
Knowledge Plus Tutoring provides virtual and in-home tutoring executive functioning coaching for students in Boca Raton and surrounding communities throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties. Our executive functioning coaching sessions and one-on-one tutoring can help students develop their planning, organization, study skills, and time management strategies to help them thrive in school.
Learn more about executive functioning coaching at Help Your Child With ADHD Build Stronger Organizational Skills | Knowledge Plus Tutoring
Frequently Asked Questions
What is executive functioning coaching?
Executive functioning coaching helps students build skills including time management, organization, planning, homework management, and task initiation. Learning these strategies can help them improve their overall academic performance in school.
Who benefits from executive functioning coaching?
Many students benefit from executive functioning coaching, especially students with ADHD, learning challenges, or those who struggle with organization and study skills.
How do I find an executive function coach in Boca Raton?
When searching for an executive functioning coach in Boca Raton, look for tutoring programs that specialize in this type of instruction. One-on-one executive functioning coaching may be optimal for your child.
Dr. Emily Levy, the executive director of Knowledge Plus Tutoring, has been helping students build their executive functioning skills for over twenty years.
