In light of requests by some of the parents, teachers, and clinicians in our Executive Function community we have developed a few resources for you all to use to support learning, cognition, and physical health among your students.
This is in preparation for our Summer Institute on Executive Function launching online in June 2023. We have developed so much practical, actionable content for you all. Can't Wait to share the details.
For right now... we have two FREE resources for you to use to increase children's awareness of their executive function skills. We call this... Improving Students'"Brain Literacy".
"Brain Literacy" is understanding how your brain works while developing the metacognitive awareness to influence (and sometimes strengthen) the executive function skills that underlie learning, socialization, and behavior.
I. VIDEOS - We created a free community-based campaign of Executive Function 30-second lesson videos. Teachers, parents, and clinicians can watch the videos with children or students to spark "the cognitive conversation" about cognitive skills. You can find the videos on social media @drlynnekenney and on YouTube. Four are published we have 30 more in the pipeline. Shout Out to our Cognitive Science Intern (and rising neuroscientist) Cristina Kester who is carefully combing through the research, our books, and past pieces of training for "Brain Nuggets" kids will enjoy. So far, the students have loved them!
II. PRINTABLE MOTIVATIONAL BADGES - I am also re-sharing printable badges Dr. David Nowell, Wendy Young, Rebecca Comizio, Mike Kuczala and I shared in 2020 to support online and at-home learning during the pandemic. In our clinical practice, we often share hand-drawn images, badges, or stickers during and after clinical sessions to celebrate our students' skill-building and effort. Click on the image below to download the pdf.
Applied neuroscience research can help us to deliver developmentally appropriate lessons to students to engage the motivation centers of their brains. Learning about executive function skills and becoming the "best coaches" of their own brains helps children feel masterful and more engaged in life and learning.
We thought the badges might encourage your students as well. Use them in celebration of skill development. They are free to download and share with attribution.
Happy Learning!