Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we introduced and defined core executive function (EF) skills and highlighted Chrome browser tools that support students in developing these skills. We are now ready to focus on the critical step of implementation. We’ve established that executive function skills are teachable – not fixed traits; the key to growing automaticity with these skills is consistent, intentional practice woven into everyday learning.

Why Routines Matter: The Science of Automaticity

Students have a limited amount of mental bandwidth available at any given moment. Research shows that the average person can hold approximately four chunks of information in working memory at one time. For students with weak executive function skills, navigating a chaotic classroom environment—deciding where to save a file, transitioning to group work, or remembering needed materials for the next task—can consume their entire capacity. Research on decision fatigue also shows that self-regulation is a finite resource that drains a student’s mental battery. The issue isn’t student effort, and the solution isn’t having students “try harder”; it’s the reality of cognitive load.  

Routines are the antidote. Developing classroom routines serves multiple purposes:

• They offer predictability amidst an environment that can easily become chaotic
• They provide a structure that helps with instructional flow
• They limit the non-academic decisions students need to make

By standardizing the “how” of class, we convert these high-effort decisions into automatic habits. Classroom routines reduce cognitive load, calm the nervous system, and help students spend their limited mental energy on learning. 

Creating Daily Rhythms

To embed executive function skills into instructional flow, we can structure class periods or activities into predictable rhythms that address the start, middle, and end of instruction.

Opening Routines

The first five minutes of class—or the start of any activity—set the trajectory of students’ attention.

• Open with a brief daily check-in to support self-regulation. Microsoft Reflect (reviewed here) and Along (reviewed here) are two platform options for digital check-ins. Edtomorrow’s First Five (reviewed here) is a website that posts new daily check-in options each school day, organized into categories to connect, care for oneself and others, and build positivity. Explore the TeachersFirst Do Now Activities collection for more ideas.
• Be explicit about using digital workspace management to reduce distractions immediately. When starting tasks, include the digital “desktop” in the material checklist for students to address. Teachers can model and speak aloud as they set up their instructional tools to show students that everyone uses executive function skills.
• Use learning targets or I Can statements to support task initiation and give students a clear sense of purpose, rather than just posting the standards or objectives. Help students visualize the task and have specific details about what the goal is; for example, “Today, we are writing a thesis statement. By the end of the class, you will have one sentence written down.”

Mid-Class/Activity Routines

Because focus and attention wane during independent work, building in brief regulation moments can help keep students on track. 

• Use visual and auditory cues to signal transitions and support students who struggle with processing or self-monitoring. Use a whiteboard tool such as Classroomscreen (reviewed here) to set up various widgets, including a traffic light, image upload, visual timers, work symbols, a stopwatch with sound, and embedded videos.
• Help students build metacognition by pausing the class during work time to take a progress pulse; for example, ask students, “Are you halfway done? If not, do you need to ask for help or adjust your pace?”
• Incorporate short brain breaks to promote self‑regulation and help students re‑sustain attention to the task at hand. Educator Tony Vincent curated this Digital Snacks Padlet with more than 100 brain break options, organized into categories such as physical, cognitive, relaxing, social, and creative. Explore the TeachersFirst Brain Breaks for Students Special Topics collection for more ideas. 

Closing Routines

Rather than working right up to the bell or a specific schedule change, closing routines provide opportunities for teachers to scaffold lesson closure and help students consolidate learning and reset their workspace.

• Build in time to organize at the end of class or an activity. A routine such as “File and Finish” helps students develop habits for naming and organizing files into folders, preventing digital chaos.
• Include quick reflection moments—polls, exit tickets, or brief check-ins—to strengthen metacognition. Consider poll options, such as Wooclap (reviewed here) or ClassQuestion (reviewed here). Alternatively, have students complete a brief Google Form as an Exit Ticket using a rating or linear scale question type.

Implementation Tips

Embedding executive functioning skills does not require pausing content instruction; we simply layer executive functioning strategies on top of what we already teach. Here are some subject-specific integration ideas:

• Math: Focus on working memory by having students use a checklist when solving multi-step problems. Have students explicitly record the knowns and unknowns when starting a word problem before attempting to solve it.
• ELA: Focus on planning and prioritization when students are working on an essay by creating micro-deadlines.
• Science: Focus on organization by including setup and cleanup in the rubric for grading labs.
• Social Studies: Focus on cognitive flexibility when modeling how to analyze historical events by shifting perspectives and looking at the situation from multiple lenses. 

Be transparent with students about why you are emphasizing specific executive function skills. The time invested now saves hours later that might otherwise be spent re‑teaching content or managing behavior challenges.

Remember that teachers also benefit from these routines. A dysregulated teacher cannot regulate a student. Modeling executive function skills reduces your own cognitive load. Use the routines above for your own resets and to clear your mental space.

Building EF-Friendly Classrooms

When we scaffold executive function skills, we move beyond teaching students to organize a binder or manage time. We empower them to become agents of their own learning. When students can confidently manage the “how” of school, they are finally free to engage deeply with the “what” and the “why.” Predictable routines create smoother and faster transitions, reduce “What do I do now?” questions, and help students self-correct when they notice distraction or loss of focus—without teacher intervention.

We’d love to hear how you support—or plan to support—students as they navigate the “digital noise” that will continue into adulthood. Let’s learn and grow as a community in the comments below.