How to Set Up Your Classroom to Support Students’ Executive Function Skills

As we prepare for a new school year, we have an opportunity to make our classroom spaces function in allyship with our students. Small changes and a deliberate setup can positively impact students’ focus, independence, and performance. In fact, research shows that factors like light, greenery, and even the height of the ceiling can impact human behavior. A tweak to your desk setup can also significantly increase student engagement. Leaning on concepts of Universal Design for Learning and executive function, we’ll explore easy ways to set up a brain-friendly room. 

Identifying the Impact of the Environment on Student Learning

Working memory is described as the “whiteboard” in our mind that holds the current thoughts. Given that it’s only able to hold between three and seven things at once, designing our classroom environment with working memory in mind can be a game-changer. In general, the more predictable and clear our classroom environments are, the better students are able to stay engaged, focused, and productive. 

When we crystallize routines and eliminate any guesswork for daily needs, like materials and movement through the classroom, students’ working memories are more available to manage learning, rather than the business of getting ready to learn. For example, if the method for returning work varies day to day, students may be spending mental energy and time figuring out how to get their work returned, a tax they’re paying before engaging with the day’s content. 

Our classroom environments can also help students manage a main currency of executive function: time. Consider creating deliberate ways to see and feel time, including a variety of clocks, timers, and visual schedules. For students who tend to struggle to initiate a task, consider creating a visual of the general steps for beginning, along with the estimated time they take.

Students may feel motivated to beat the clock if you offer the challenge of completing a certain task within an allotted time. For students who struggle to sustain work during independent time, consider providing visual timers or even a buzzing timer that alerts students to self-reflect on their focus and progress at set intervals. 

A final factor to consider is reducing distractions (thereby increasing attention) through classroom design. While we can’t control the internal distractions our students experience, we can consider the auditory, scent, or physical-sensation clutter that distract students. Our brains are designed to pay immediate attention to new and novel stimuli, and many of our students will lose focus, even if just for a moment, when a noise, movement, or other sensation presents itself. 

Plan for inevitable distractions by creating spaces that are visually separated from movement inside the classroom, as well as options for noise-reducing headphones. Students will often self-elect to use these spaces to help them manage their own distractions, reducing the number of prompts we have to give throughout the work period. You may also want to reduce the constant distractions of noisy lights or devices that can be replaced or powered down. If certain chairs or desks seem distractingly uncomfortable or noisy, you can request to replace them. 

4 Quick ways to enhance concrete visuals in your classroom 

A great classroom setup replaces your verbal prompts with visuals and tools for students to reference throughout the day. Consider a few of the following as you set up this year, knowing that today’s time spent will be paid back in student engagement and fewer reminders from you.

1. Charts and process visuals: For classroom routines requiring more than three steps, create a chart or list, with visual examples of each step as appropriate. Keep the steps short, focusing on the verbs. Place these visuals in the location of the routine. For example, if it’s how to return work, hang it where the physical work is returned.

2. Calendar: Many students reference the calendar for the month as an anchor for planning. Create a system to keep your calendar updated with both class and school activities. This will allow time to ordinate and become linear, a big boost for students with executive function needs, like those with ADHD or autism. The calendar can also serve as a reference for future executive function skills, like backward planning.

3. Schedule: As mentioned above, a daily schedule provides structure and predictability for students. Consider listing the general blocks of time, not necessarily the exact times, so that students know about how long or short an activity will be. Seeing the schedule empowers students to independently navigate their time in class; some students may be more likely to get activated and focus toward the end of a given time, if they can see that the scheduled work time is ending. 

4. Name it: Labels eliminate the daily hunt for the same items—increasing student independence and reducing the room-wandering that can lead to distractions. We can provide navigational support to students by labeling general areas, like “student tools,” without labeling each individual item. Consider your daily flow and what students need to be able to access easily. Think about what students in your room encounter on a typical  day—it’s a great start for places to label. 

As the year unfolds, you can continue your quest to make space supportive of student learning by recruiting students to recognize and own their sensory distractions. Since you’ve set up your classroom to allow for flexible seating and students adjusting their sensory experiences, they’ll be better able to self-regulate to maintain engagement.