There are many aspects of executive function—from activation to focus, to effort, emotion, and memory. The final component is action, which Thomas E. Brown notes in his article “Executive Functions by Thomas Brown,” incorporates both monitoring and self-regulating. However, without knowing what a teacher expects, students will have more difficulty determining if they are on track or need to adjust their work.
Rubrics and examples of previous assignments can help students monitor and adjust their work according to the expectations of the class. After submitting assignments, teachers should give feedback to help students learn how well their work meets the standard the teacher has set. According to Bryan Goodwin and Kirsten Miller’s 2012 article in Educational Leadership, “Research Says Good Feedback is Targeted, Specific, Timely,” this feedback should be based on set learning objectives, specific enough to help students know how they can improve, and timely enough that students have the opportunity to utilize this feedback for the next round of assignments that they do.
This resource offers guidelines for setting goals and expectations with students, and examples of giving feedback to students. Both of these address Landmark’s Teaching Principle™, “Provide Models,” by giving students specific standards and examples as a basis for their own work.
For the full text of the Landmark Teaching Principles™, including “Provide Models,” click here.
