Supporting Students' Executive Function Skills in the Trauma-Sensitive Classroom

Students who experience trauma may have ongoing difficulties with executive function skills—including working memory, a skill that’s foundational to attention, focus, and school success. Part of an essential new series of laminated quick guides for preK–12 educators, this is your concise, practical introduction to supporting students who struggle with working memory.

Jen Alexander and Jennifer Dickey, educators and experts on trauma-sensitive schools, guide you through this important topic in a friendly, warm, and personal style. They’ll give you the insight you need to understand your students’ needs, plus practical guidance, tools, and real-world ideas you can use right away to support working memory and set every learner up for success. Inside this quick guide, you’ll:

• Review how working memory functions and the role it plays in academic achievement
• Learn how to recognize working memory challenges in your students
• Adjust the way you think about and talk to students who struggle with working memory
• Get specific tips, strategies, and tools to support your students’ working memory

PRACTICAL DOWNLOADS INCLUDED! 10 interactive downloads—including exercises, lesson plans, games, conversation prompts, and student supports—expand on the tips in this quick guide and help you apply your learning.

About the Series: Quick Guides for Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools

Practical, friendly, and immediately useful, this series of laminated quick guides addresses the essentials of building trauma-sensitive schools—safety, connection, regulation, and learning. Jen Alexander has collaborated with experts around the globe to bring educators tips, strategies, and activities they can apply right away in their classroom and school. Each guide in the series also includes downloadable lesson plans and exercises that educators can use to take action. Equally useful for experienced trauma-sensitive educators or those just getting started, these quick guides will help school staff create environments that support every person’s well-being and learning.

Jen Alexander believes we can make a positive difference in the lives of students, one relationship at a time. That's why she's a passionate leader in the movement to build trauma-sensitive schools. Known by children and adults alike as "Ms. Jen," she loves helping kids—and giving others the tools and strategies they need to help kids, too.

As a former special education teacher and current school counselor in Iowa, Ms. Jen has more than 15 years of experience providing support to young people and the educators who serve them. As a popular teacher trainer, trauma expert, and author, Ms. Jen shows fellow educators what works and why when it comes to building trauma-sensitive schools. With a unique ability to connect with students, educators, other helpers, and parents, Jen is devoted to facilitating school-wide trauma-sensitive transformation through effective professional development paired with school consultation. Within minutes of working with her, educators know they are learning from someone who understands the real struggles of every day teaching and learning—and believe that change benefiting educators, students, and entire school communities is possible.

Ms. Jen holds degrees in psychology and special education teaching as well as a master's degree in professional school counseling from the University of Northern Iowa. She is also a nationally certified counselor and registered school-based play therapist.

Jennifer Dickey is a licensed teacher and holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Special Education with an emphasis in Gifted and Talented Education. Her passion and expertise is in designing academic and social-emotional supports for children who think and learn differently.

She has held a variety of roles in the education field such as a Classroom Teacher, Gifted and Talented Specialist, and Academic Language Therapist providing specialized instruction to dyslexic learners. Coaching children with ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning differences that are marked by working memory deficits are at the center of her mission.

She is the founder and executive function coach at Lotus Cognitive Solutions Group where their intention is never to “fix” a child, but to provide practical solutions to help him or her achieve meaningful goals. They provide coaching sessions that are firmly grounded in a child’s strengths and work to cultivate motivation. https://lotuscsg.com