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Executive Function: Focused Interventions for Organization Deficits

Without having at least some semblance of organization, the world would not be able to function. Global citizens rely on this essential executive function in many areas — their schools, their homes, their jobs. It’s not a stretch of the imagination by any means to see why people who have good organizational skills generally are more successful with their lives, provided they put their organizational skills to good use. Of course, everyone’s tolerance for disorganization differs, which is why the psychology field is littered with cases of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) at one end of the spectrum and compulsive hoarding at the other. Students who lack organizational skills need to have them be explicitly taught through focused interventions, such as the ones described below. Without strong organizational skills, it is difficult for students to find academic success.

Organize the Working Space

Even if students have the best plan in the world and can prioritize all the necessary tasks, the fact is that they will not get very far if their work area is disorganized. At school, the tools that are needed are specific to each job, or subject. However, to be useful, a student must be able to locate them. To help in this regard, try any (or all) of the following strategies.

Arrangement of Materials

For students who have a deficit in the executive function skill of organization, having too many materials without a structured way of accessing them can prove to be overwhelming and confusing. Imagine for a moment the amount of instructional time lost for a student who can never find the correct folder or a pencil when needed. Thus, the organization of materials makes the day run more smoothly and effectively for everyone, not just those who may have an executive function problem.

One type of desk organization that helps is the “left-middle-right” method. Using this method, the student’s desk is set up for success every day. On the left side of the desk are all the materials or work that needs to be completed throughout the day, in the order in which they are required. As the teacher provides instruction throughout the day, the student takes items from the left side of the desk and moves them to the middle of the desk. The middle of the desk is the “work” space. This is where the student’s attention should be focused and where the work gets done. When the work is finished, it is moved to the right side of the desk, indicating that it is completed. This method has a few different benefits, beginning with it helps the teacher and student organize the work that needs to be completed that day. Second, it gives the student some much needed visual parameters of what the focus of their efforts should be at each moment in time. Third, it allows the student to feel successful; as items are completed, the student can visually see his/her pile “move” to the other side. Last, it provides much needed structure and gives the student the ability to “check things off the list” as items are completed.

The Teacher Trap offers another simple desk organization idea with a handy chart to help remind students of the process.

Color Coding

Color coding is another way to help students organize their materials. In addition to their classroom teacher, some students are likely to also work with other educational professionals throughout the day. Each of these individuals may have materials for the student to use and keep track of as well. By color-coding materials, transitions may be shortened. For example, all the SLP materials are blue. This includes the folder and notebook that the student needs to bring when working with this specialist. So, instead of opening every folder in his/her desk and backpack, the student can just grab the blue materials and go. This limits the amount of time in the transition, but it also allows the student to become more independent, as it becomes easier for him/her to find the needed materials without the aid of an adult.

Color coding is also useful as a general organizational tool for all students in the classroom. For example, all math materials are yellow, reading materials are blue, writing materials are green, science materials are red, and social studies materials are orange.

Backpack Organization

Students who have organizational deficits often have backpacks that, upon closer examination, appear to be filled with junk. They may contain crumpled papers, broken writing tools, and various objects that are not germane to the learning environment. Good organizational habits need to extend to the student’s backpack as well. To help students organize their backpacks, follow the suggestions below (Strosnider & Saxton Sharpe, 2019).

• Use a clear backpack. Make sure that it is appropriately sized for the student and has multiple zippered pockets. It is much easier for the student to spy what s/he is looking for if s/he uses a clear backpack.
• Remember those zippered pockets? Put them to good use by labeling each pocket with a specific purpose. For example, the largest pocket (typically the one at the top) can be used to store the student’s take-home folder/binder, assignment notebook, any relevant books, and the student’s lunch box. Be sure to utilize a separate folder for important papers. One side should be labeled “Stay at Home” and the other side should be labeled “Return to School.” Graded homework and tests can remain at home; important papers that need a parent signature and current homework that needs to be returned should be filed back in the folder. A middle-sized pocket might hold portable devices, such as a calculator or a phone. Smaller pockets can be designated for smaller items, such as writing tools (pens, pencils, crayons), rulers, and small personal items, such as lip balm, hand sanitizer, or lotion. Some backpacks have a tall, narrow mesh pocket on the outside. This can be used for a water bottle or an umbrella.

Of course, modeling is of the utmost importance, as students need plenty of practice so the proper use of this strategy becomes routine. In the beginning, teachers and parents will undoubtedly have to provide a lot of support, but as the student progresses and becomes more comfortable, s/he will begin to take control over the process. Once this organizational strategy becomes routine, it is important for both teachers and parents to initiate periodic check-ins, as this best practice ensures that the process is being followed correctly.

Locker Organization

For older students who visit their lockers on a regular basis (e.g., middle and high school students who visit in-between classes), these frequent shifts in schedule are another potential source of disorganization. Especially for those who have organizational deficits, it is all too easy to simply toss something back in their locker without storing it away in its proper location. However, it is exactly these same shifts that make it essential for the locker to be organized, as this best practice makes the transition easier, faster, and error-free.

Of course, each student’s locker situation will be different, as it is dependent on the student’s personal executive challenges regarding keeping their materials in order. Additionally, some students prefer to keep all their materials with them in a backpack, as they hate travelling back and forth to their locker. However, by implementing the suggestions below, it is possible for students with organizational deficits to use the locker as it was originally designed (Strosnider & Saxton Sharpe, 2019).

• Place all flat items such as folders, books, notebooks, and spare notebook paper on the top inside shelf of the locker.
• Use color-coded textbook covers to further distinguish and organize textbooks.
• On the inside part of the locker door, tape a color-coded weekly schedule that corresponds to needed materials, like in the example below.

• Also on the inside part of the locker door, place a container with a heavy-duty magnet. Use this container to store extra pens, pencils, highlighters, and markers.
• Post a weekly to-do list on the inside part of the locker door as well.
• Use the hooks to hang coats, scarves, and hats. Place gloves inside the coat pocket before hanging up the coat.
• Once everything is organized, take a photo, and post it on the inside part of the locker door. This serves as a handy reference tool for the student.

Time Management Issues

For students to successfully plan a project or assignment and see it through to completion, they must first be able to estimate how much time the task will take so they can plan and organize accordingly. Having these executive skills is essential to task completion. Unfortunately, many students with organizational deficits are unable to do so, regardless of how hard they try or how badly they want to.

To help them understand this complicated skill, it is best to begin with explicit instruction, focusing on how to estimate the amount of time needed to complete a task. Students most likely already have a favorite television show, so at the very least, they can comprehend time in thirty- or sixty-minute increments. If they still have trouble relating estimates to actual time, prompt them by referencing their favorite show (e.g., no longer than one episode of Outer Banks).

Strosnider and Saxton Sharpe (2019) suggest that using the television show as a frame of reference, give students three short assignments. Ask them to estimate how much time each task will take. Be sure to build in two minutes between each assignment for a brain break. After the estimates have been made, give each student a stopwatch (their phones work great for this) and have them time themselves as they complete each task. When they are finished, have them add up the actual time it took to complete all three assignments (including breaks). Then, review the results with students. Were their estimates anywhere close to the actual time?

Afterwards, discuss how students may have under or overestimated the time necessary to complete each task. Encourage students to make revisions as they continue this practice so that their estimates begin to come closer to their actual times. Once a student can estimate with relative accuracy, s/he will be in a better position to break the schedule down even further so that s/he will have time to complete all his/her assignments and projects.

The Time is Now!

Organizational skills are important not only in school, but in real life as well. When left out of control, a lack of organization becomes a contributing factor in a student’s inability to succeed. For some, it’s an issue of simply getting started (initiation); for others, it’s an inability to properly plan and prioritize. And for others, disorganization in terms of space, process, and time contributes to these failures. It’s never too late to get started by practicing organization in the classroom!

Are you curious? Want to take a deep dive on this topic?

To learn more about the impact of executive function skills and how to use focused interventions to support students in developing their executive function skills, visit the Professional Development Institute (PDI) website or our Focused Interventions to Improve Executive Function Skills course.

For over 27 years, PDI has provided high-quality and affordable online professional development courses to K-12 teachers worldwide. Our online courses are designed to offer practical strategies that can be implemented in classrooms immediately. All our courses are instructor-led and conducted entirely online. Graduate-level university credit for every PDI online course for teachers is available through the University of California San Diego Division of Extended Studies. PDI offers an extensive catalog of online courses that cover the most critical topics in today's classrooms.

References:

Strosnider, R. & Saxton Sharpe, V. (2019). The Executive Function Guidebook: Strategies to Help All Students Achieve Success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.