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Flexible thinking

In my last article, I wrote about the important area of Executive Functioning which has 8 key areas: Impulse control, Emotional control, Flexible thinking, Working memory, Self-monitoring, Planning and prioritising, Task initiation and Organisational skills. These are important skills for everyday life and academic success.

In this article, I want to focus on flexible thinking. For many of us, we like routine and the predictable pattern of each day. We feel comfortable when we succeed in tasks using the same approach each time. However, life and learning are not predictable and we do need to be able to adapt to new tasks and situations. We need to be able to accept that not everything is straightforward with one fixed answer.  Many situations and activities can be dealt with in a range of ways with varying degrees of success. Some students struggle when their familiar routine is disrupted or when task is more complicated than they initially thought. So flexible thinking and resilience needs to be modelled and taught.

As the curriculum becomes more complex, students need to be able interpret information in different ways and see other people’s point of view.  Tasks like reading comprehension, writing to explain ideas or opinions, understanding events in history or interpreting observations in science all require flexible thinking. Students need to balance concepts and ideas, look for evidence and shift between different ways of thinking before settling on the best solution for that situation.

Many believe that success is largely down to hard work and determination. However, if we keep approaching a situation in the same way time and time again without success, it can lead to frustration. Sometimes to succeed, we need accept there is a different way forward. This is where flexible thinking is vital to overcome difficulties by selecting a different approach. This may be a method we are less familiar with or confident in, but without practising this new method we can not make progress. The ability to try something new and move out of our ‘comfort zone’ can lead to can lead to both personal and academic growth.

Teachers can promote flexible thinking particularly in Primary and lower Secondary by regularly including open-ended tasks in their lessons. Initially students may need some scaffolding to help them to know how to get started with an open-ended task. They may also needed to be guided through the thinking process step by step, with a view to providing less support each time an open-ended task is presented.  In maths for example, they may need to be taught different problem solving approaches like trial and improvement, working systematically, making a pictorial representation through simple problems. Then over time they can be encouraged to look at a problem and select which method they think is best. Nrich is a good source of maths problems for different ages and levels https://nrich.maths.org/

Another important element in developing flexible thinking is create an environment where there is an acceptance of different points of view and different approaches. Students need to be encouraged to question and move away from the idea that teacher has all the answers. Encouraging students to work collaboratively with different students each time can also broaden their thinking. Students can learn a lot from discussing the range of solutions that can be found and evaluating the positives and negatives of any given solution as a class.  This allows students begin to see that in many situations there is not one ‘correct’ answer. Activities like 'Thunks' are a low risk why of developing flexible thinking. They can encourage discussion and help develop an acceptance that there can be many solutions.

 https://www.independentthinking.co.uk/resources/posts/2020/april/thunks/

An introduction to Task Initiation

 

Planning and prioritising

In continuing my series on Executive functioning I would like to focus on organisational skills and in particular on ‘Planning and prioritising’, which are essential for success at school and in everyday life.

As students’ progress through school a greater level independence and organisational skills are expected. Planning is required for projects and longer assignments, as students need to work out the steps and tasks involved and they need to allow adequate time for each stage. Prioritising is essential for all subjects in school. When making notes students need to be able to decide which information to write down and which parts to leave out. It is needed in maths when solving word problems so that a student can identify the key facts and decide on the appropriate calculation. In projects and presentations, students also need to be able to prioritise what is important, so that time is used productively on the key aspects of the task and not wasted on non-essential parts. For example: some students get overly caught up in the finding pictures or choosing the font rather than reading a variety of texts to research the topic properly.

Difficulty with planning and prioritising can make it hard to start and complete homework and some tasks can seem overwhelming. It can mean that when assignments are completed, important sections are left out or rushed. This affects the quality of the work and can mean that capable students may under achieve. Students with these difficulties can find it hard to work in a logical sequence and understand the overall outcome or aim of the task.
Planning and prioritising skills can be developed but need considerable practise. Regularly talking through everyday tasks as well more academic tasks and explaining what needs to be done first can be very helpful. When discussing a task that needs to completing, adults can model writing a ‘to do list’. The students should then be involved in deciding which order the different parts should be done in and why. Mind maps can help some students who find sequencing difficult to plan out their ideas effectively. Once all their ideas are noted, they can decide which order to tackle them in. This allows them to work systematically through a task step by step. Sticky notes can also be very helpful as each idea or task can be put a separate note. This allows students to physically move them into a logical order and it gives a sense of achievement as a note can be discarded as each part is completed.  Students themselves can be involved in evaluating their own strategies and should be encouraged to share those that they have found effective with their peers.

For some organisational skills come naturally but for others these skills need to be explicitly taught. For those with poor organisational skills a lot time and energy can be wasted orientating themselves through the day. There can be anxiety about making sure they have the correct equipment. For some finding things in their locker or bedroom can be challenging. Simply not being able to find relevant handouts or guidelines while doing a homework task can lead a student to miss crucial information and under perform. Disorganisation can cause students to be distracted from the task at hand and frustration from losing belongings can waste energy that could be channeled into their studies and learning.

Parents and teachers have a key role in developing good organisational habits early on. This can be done both through modelling and guiding children in specific skills. Students need to be encouraged both at home and at school to keep equipment in specific places and follow routines. Simple habits like always putting equipment away when it is finished with, before starting another task can make a big difference long term. Showing children how to pack their school bag in the same order each day develops a routine which later becomes a habit. This can then be applied to other situations like organising your locker or desk or packing a suitcase. Thinking ahead to the next day and making a list of activities and tasks that need to be done over the week has great benefits. Students should be encouraged to make use of calendars and planners rather than trying to keep everything in their head. Having a sense of order allows students to be fully focused on what they want to achieve academically and personally.

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