“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become." Henry David Thoreau

As children sit at their primary school desks waiting for the teacher to ask for homework books to be handed in, think about all the tasks that had to be completed for this scenario to be successfully achieved. From getting out of bed, finding school uniforms, packing school lunches and PE kits and then remembering to find the hopefully completed homework still lying on their bedroom floor. This is all before reaching the school gates. In class they need to be able to sit quietly at their desks, resist telling their friends all about their x-box gaming session till dinner time and listen to the teacher asking for homework. The entire morning required planning, paying attention, working memory, multi tasking and being able to manage your emotions. These all form part of our executive functions and are crucial for both academic and social success and to shape the young adults they one day become. They are also the skills that many children with hearing loss still have difficulties with.

This course will unpick the various cognitive processes that makes up our Executive Functions, what we need to plan a task and implement the plan. We will:

• Explore the latest research findings from different fields looking at executive function.
• Consider how executive function and theory of mind are linked.
• Share case studies to recognise how executive functions impact both academic and social tasks.
• Consider what happens neurologically as we grow up that affects executive function.
• Focus on practical strategies and resources for boosting and supporting executive functions, from early years to primary.

This event addresses the following Standards from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: 1.1.2, 1.2.2, 1.3.2, 1.4.2, 1.5.2, 1.6.2, 2.6.2, 3.2.2, 3.3.2, 3.4.2, 3.6.2, 4.1.2, 4.4.2, 4.5.2, 5.1.2, 5.2.2, 5.3.2, 5.4.2, 6.2.2, 6.2.6, 6.3.2, 6.4.2, 7.4.2. It fits within the Priority Area of Children/ Student with Disabilities. This event is evidence and research based.