Things You’ll Hear A Lot From Me
Terms, Tools, and Concepts
Visual Schedule
I'm a huge fan of these, for so many reasons I shouldn't get into it here because I'll prattle on too long. It's pretty much exactly what you'd think. I enjoy using magnetic fridge calendars for my own life, but this can be as simple as a post-it note on a door.
To-Do Lists
Again, not a complicated concept. However, for some reason, in my 18 years of teaching, kids HATE doing these. No idea why, as I would crumble without using them. I have one in my kitchen, one for my teaching, one for my coaching, and one for exercise.
Intentionality
Honestly, this is just a word I use instead of mindfulness because a) lots of kids react negatively to "mindfulness" because they've heard that a million times, b) "mindfulness" as a concept is super vaguely defined anyway, and c) since literally everyone can benefit from this, we gotta figure out a way to repackage it.
Coping Skills
These are the ways we take care of ourselves and increase resilience when we're stressed, anxious, tired, etc.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
If I'm remembering correctly, this has been less in vogue lately. Regardless of its accuracy, using Maslow's Hierarchy as a frame when we're trying to figure out why someone's behavior is not working can be super useful.
Problem Solving Conversation
This isn't just talking about problems, it's a really fantastic, research-based program for addressing why things aren't working, using a conversation framework. I use this pretty much non-stop in my professional AND my personal life.
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING
The mental processes we use to complete complex tasks. Essentially: how our brain lets us do the things that we do. Different websites divide it into different "domains," but the categories often overlap. The ones I talk about the most are:
Emotional Regulation
Having skills to manage your reaction to stressors, which includes emotional awareness and using self care to re-regulate.
Task-Based Skills
This includes getting started on tasks (task initiation), staying on-task (task maintenance), moving between tasks (task switching and task completion)
Working Memory
Ok, this one's weird. This, essentially, is the memory recall you rely on to complete a task. It's kinda short term memory, but also kinda not because it's recalling the steps to finish things. It's also what we use to move from task to task, or to multi-task.
Organization
This is more than just keeping your desk clean; it's how you keep track of thoughts, how you prioritize things, how you go step-by-step.
Cognitive Flexibility
This is how smoothly people can move to a different task, or handle unexpected changes in routine.
More to Come as my Wife Makes Fun of Me For Talking Too Much About Something.