Executive Function Skills

Response inhibition is the capacity to think before acting. This ability to resist the urge to say or do something allows students the time to evaluate a situation and how one’s behavior might affect it.
 

Working memory is the ability to hold information in one’s mind while performing complex tasks. It incorporates the ability to draw on past learning to apply to the situation at hand or to project into the future.
 

Emotional control is the ability to manage emotions in order to achieve goals, complete tasks, or control and direct behavior.

Flexibility is the ability to revise plans or intentions in the face of obstacles, setbacks, new information, or mistakes. 

Sustained attention is the capacity to maintain attention to a situation or task in spite of distractibility, fatigue, or boredom.
 

Task initiation is the ability to begin projects without undue procrastination.

Planning and prioritizing are the abilities needed to create a roadmap to reach a goal or to complete a task. It also calls for being able to make decisions about what’s important to focus on and what’s not important.

Organization is the ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of information or materials.

Time management is the capacity to estimate how much time one has, how to allocate it, and how to stay within time limits and deadlines. It also involves a sense that time is important.

Goal-directed persistence is the capacity to have a goal, follow through to the completion of the goal and not be put off or distracted by competing interests.

Metacognition is the ability to stand back and take a birds-eye view of oneself in a situation. It is an ability to observe how one thinks and solves problems. It also includes self-monitoring and self-evaluative skills, such as asking oneself, “How am I doing?” or “How did I do?”.