Executive Function in Context
Executive function is all about context. There are many reasons why a student may struggle with executive function, such as having a learning difference or simply being too young to
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Friends and Executive Function
For students, even very young students, social relationships influence the development of their executive function abilities. A study published by Sabine Doebel and Yuko Munakata at the University of Colorado explored
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Why Student Mentors Matter
Mentoring is a powerful way to engage all students. At SMARTS, we believe a peer mentoring or coaching approach can be especially transformative for students with learning differences. Trying to
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Project Eye to Eye: Unlocking the Potential of Students with Learning Differences
Accepting a label — and choosing to identify oneself with a “learning disability or difference” — can be the first step to empowerment. How can self-esteem, self-advocacy, and a supportive
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Peer Influence and Strategies for Academic Success
To be successful in school, and in life, teenagers need to develop executive function strategies that allow them to plan, organize, prioritize, and self-manage. Their prefrontal cortex, the part of
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SMARTS News! A New Blended After-School Mentoring and Strategy Instruction Program
We are the proud recipients of a Cumming’s Foundation 100 for 100 Grant, allowing us to pilot a blended mentoring and executive function strategy instruction program in Woburn, MA. Working
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Does Working in Groups Kill Creativity?
How do you promote original thinking in classroom group work? Adam Grant, author of Originals, has a lot to say about fostering creativity in ourselves and in children. In an interview on Mind/Shift, Grant
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