Executive Function in Education: From Theory to Practice

by Lynn Meltzer (Editor)

This uniquely integrative book brings together research on executive function processes from leaders in education, neuroscience, and psychology. It focuses on how to apply current knowledge to assessment and instruction with diverse learners, including typically developing children and those with learning difficulties and developmental disabilities. The role of executive function processes in learning is examined and methods for identifying executive function difficulties are reviewed. Chapters describe scientifically grounded models for promoting these key cognitive capacities at the level of the individual child, the classroom, and the entire school. Implications for teaching particular content areas—reading, writing, and math—are also discussed.

Genres: Education, Psychology

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Dr. Lynn J. Meltzer is the President and Co-Founder of the Research Institute for Learning and Development in Lexington, MA. She is a Fellow and Past-President of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities. She is the Founder and Program Chair of the Annual Executive Function and Learning Differences Conference which she has chaired for the past 37 years.

For 30 years, Meltzer was an Associate in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Child Development at Tufts University.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heavily sourced and comprehensive book on executive function. I haven't read the whole book, but concentrated on Chapter 7 "Executive Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders: From Research to Practice" and Chapter 8 "Executive Function in the Classroom: Embedding Strategy Instruction into Daily Teaching Practices.

These chapters greatly improved my understanding of my child's difficulties with executive function. I now have a much better understanding of the EF skills he needs to learn at school and how they should be directly embedded into the curriculum.

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow this is an odd book. The theories and methodologies are all over the place. For a book that is meant to provide the framework for a paradigm shift, this edited collection is so bloated and messy that it makes Vegas Elvis look like a fitness instructor.

Executive function - as a phrase in education - is interesting. I would describe it as reflexive literacy. But this book provides a very basic definition: "goal setting, planning, organizing, prioritizing, memorizing, initiating, shifting, and self-monitoring." These attributes could also be described as academic literacies... The 'executive' nature of the function is unclear...

There remains two good chapters in this collection: “Executive function in the classroom” by
Lynn Meltzer, Laura Sales Pollica and Mirit Barzillai and “Deficits in executive function processes” by David Rose and Katherine Rose. The rest were baggy and - to be frank - a bit odd.

A book that could have been remarkable fell short through a lack of definitions and clear theorization.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to take this to our sped director and twap him over the head with it -- what a wonderful, understandable explanation of executive functioning and how to bolster it in a struggling student.

[Tim Gannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gained a few insights and a lot of reinforcement of what I've been working on for years...