Metacognition and Executive Function both help with behavior regulation, problem-solving, and more — skills that are crucial to success in school and in life. These two sets of cognitive processes have more in common than not, but they’ve traditionally been studied separately rather than in conjunction with research communities. Metacognitive thinking has been studied by…
Montessori Outcomes for Success
Each week, the Montessori Foundation’s Montessori Leadership Institute hosts live sessions focusing on Montessori outcomes for success and the importance of Montessori education. Sessions are led by Montessori Foundation experts or guest speakers. This Wednesday’s session [1:00 PM Eastern Time in the USA (GMT -4)] will be hosted by Dr. Katie Brown, DC Regional Coordinator…
Case Study – MEFS Predicts K Outcomes
The Minnesota Executive Function Scale (MEFS) is a brief, tablet-based comprehensive measure of executive function skills that is nationally normed down to 2 years of age. Reflection Sciences introduced the MEFS assessment to a consortium of independent schools to be used during the admissions process. Here’s what they found: Applicants who enrolled scored 10 points higher…
Pretend Play in Child Development
According to pretend play in child development expert, Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota, and Reflection Sciences Co-founder, Dr. Stephanie M. Carlson, “Play is about as ‘blueprinted’ a behavior as you can have in terms of basic survival and reproduction.” Play, which by definition has no immediate purpose other than recreation, is…
Development of Consciousness in Childhood
The development of consciousness in childhood in relation to Executive Function (EF) skills is one that psychologists are just beginning to understand. Dr. Phil Zelazo is Reflection Sciences’ co-founder and the Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Professor at the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. In this online lecture featured by…
How Executive Function Promotes Healthy Emotional Development in Children 4–9 Years Old
As children continue to grow, there are important developmental benchmarks for parents and teachers to monitor to ensure healthy development, including Emotional Development. A child’s well-being goes far beyond physical health—mental, emotional, and social considerations also are crucial. In this post, we’ll focus on how Executive Function skills promote healthy emotional development in children 4–9…
Minnesota Executive Function Scale + Outcome Measure for Montessori Education
By Stephanie M. Carlson, PhD and Philip David Zelazo, PhD The notion of reflection is rooted throughout Montessori methods. The environment and pedagogy are designed to cultivate children’s awareness of their work and self-motivated learning. Reflection is also the key to developing life skills known as “executive function.” Educators and employers are increasingly hearing about…
Be a Better Mentor with Executive Function
Joseph Angaran, national Check & Connect trainer at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota, explains the power of ‘pausing’ to enhance executive function and be a better mentor. Reflection, which refers to the ability to “notice challenges, pause, consider options, and put things into context prior to responding”, supports healthy academic,…
How to Improve Early Childhood Education: Help Teachers De-Stress
A new report out this month: 46% of teachers say they feel high daily stress. Roughly 50% agree that “stress and disappointments involved in teaching at this school aren’t really worth it.” What helps? Mindfulness. Patricia Jennings, Associate Professor of Education in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, mindfulness practitioner of more…
Self Regulation in Children: Improving Executive Function
The Harvard Graduate School of Education members Stephanie M. Jones, Rebecca Bailey, Sophie P. Barnes, and Ann Partee released a project report highlighting how to define executive function, a skillset for self regulation in children. They also describe national efforts to support executive function, featuring Tools of the Mind, Lumosity, the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, the KIPP…