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.

Check out Dystinct Magazine

 

Developing study skills

Success at school is as much to do with natural ability and academic skills as it is to do with knowing how to approach tasks and how to show your understanding in an appropriate way.

Good study skills are vital for all students and allow them to tap their strengths and compensate for their weakness. They can be introduced throughout Primary school and these skills then need to be mastered in Secondary school.

Some students quickly work out what works for them and they are able to apply these skills in different subjects. However, others need to be explicitly taught different strategies and need to practise them frequently before they can use them independently.  Sometimes, a student can be quite dismissive of a particular approach because it didn’t work first time. This is because they do not realise most skills need time and practise to develop. 

While there are some common strategies, each student has to work out what works best for them. This can take time, guidance and practice with the support of both parents and teachers.

There are 4 key areas to consider:

Breaking down tasks into manageable steps.

This is important for tackling the coursework required throughout Secondary school and is needed for higher levels of education. Teachers will often provide checklists, guidelines and rubrics, but some students still need further instruction and support to make proper use of these.

When a student is given a project to complete, for some it can seem overwhelming and this lead can to procrastination.  Procrastination is not laziness but is usually caused by anxiety. This could be anxiety about not being able to complete the task to the correct standard or anxiety about not knowing how to get started.  Task initiation difficulties are often overlooked but is a genuine area of challenge for some. Once the student is helped to get started, they may make quick progress and be able to work independently.  Task initiation is part of our executive functions, which we now know are not fully developed until the age of 25. 

Adult support may be needed to work out how to navigate the task, this is not ‘cheating’ or preventing a student from becoming independent learners but necessary way of aiding learning. This could include modeling and 'thinking out loud' to show how to work out what the steps could be. Then make a list of specific tasks that need to be done with appropriate time limits. Overtime, the student will learn to break tasks up themselves and set sensible deadlines and goals.

Note taking

Note taking is a valuable skill but one that usually requires training and practice. Some students pick up the idea of writing down key words but others with continue to write down every word said or exactly what it says in a text book. Explicitly showing students how to find key words in a  sentence or text is an important stage in teaching note taking. Sharing examples of notes and explaining how to use this information can also help. 

For those who find writing challenging, Sketchnoting can be a good technique for recording ideas through pictures. Again it requires practice and guidance, there are some excellent videos on You tube,   

Improving Memorisation

The more actively involved a student is any material or task the more memorable it is likely to be. Simply listening to the teacher or reading material from a textbook is not normally enough for information to stick long term. When revising many students choose to re-read material from lessons and textbooks but this is not necessarily the best way forward.

Verbalising is a very effective method for making materials memorable. The simple act of saying information in your own voice can make make it easier to remember. Teachers can facilitate verbalising by asking students to tell each other the main points from a lesson introduction. Another method is to give different information in the form of pictures or short texts to small groups. The group discusses the information to make sense of it. Then one person from each group joins a new group to share what they have learnt. At home, students could try to explain to their parents what they have learnt in a particular subject or they could consider recording themselves talking about a topic they need to review.

Retrieval practise is an effective strategy which research shows makes learning more memorable. When we try to remember facts without having the information in front of us and then check what is missing, this activates the brain.  This is where frequent quizzes without a mark and encouraging students to write down anything they recall about a topic are helpful.  Self-checking and peer marking can enhance learning as it helps students more to become aware of what they have missed.  Students need to take ownership of their learning and be honest about what they actually know and understand and then they can to work on filling the specific gaps.

Test techniques

Tests can naturally be a source of anxiety for some students. Unfortunately, anxiety and stress effects our memory.  As our body goes it ‘fight or flight mode’ resources are taken away from the logical part of our brain.  This then means that a student may not be able recall material that they genuinely know.

Positive ‘self-talk’ is vital to work through stressful situations.  It can be very easy to get frustrated when you can’t remember a fact that you know you have practiced many times. But if we tell ourselves, it is ‘too difficult’ or that we are ‘stupid’ for not knowing it, then our brain starts to shut down and we will struggle to answer the question. Alternatively, if we can convince ourselves that is normal to find things tricky and that we can work through it, then we can keep our brain open and we can often surprise ourselves with what we can do. Internally encouraging ourselves with ‘you’ve got this’ or ‘its ok, you can do it’, can really make a difference.

Breathing exercises can help to bring a moment of calm which may allow the brain to switch from ‘panic’ mode to the ‘reasoned thinking’ mode needed to recall prior learning.

There are also test strategies that can easily be taught and mastered but are not necessarily obvious to some students.  These include leaving out trickier questions and coming back to them at the end, paying attention to the number of marks allocated to a question when considering how much detail to give, rereading questions to ensure correct understanding. Highlighting or underlining key words can also help to ensure questions are properly understood and processed.

Overall both parents and teachers can do a lot to support the development and practice of study skills which will lead to school success.