MVHS Sarah Ward Executive Functioning and Study Skills Webinar March 6, 2025

Course Description

• In this session on practical strategies, you’ll learn concrete techniques to help students manage their time and materials more effectively, empowering them to record, prioritize, and complete nightly homework, tackle long-term projects, and prepare successfully for quizzes and exams. We’ll explore ways to create a positive, productive homework environment, with tips to support students and their families in setting up an effective space for study and homework. We’ll also discuss how parents can gradually shift from providing full support to fostering independence, promoting student confidence, and avoiding learned helplessness. Lecture, powerpoint, demonstration of procedures and questions/answer will be shared.
• Lead Learner (Facilitator): Marta McGovern | Rachel Stewart
• Credit(s) and Type: 3 Hours Relicensure

Target Audience

• MVHS Staff

Meeting Information

• Date: March 6, 2025
• Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
• Zoom Meeting

Course Outcomes

Here are the outcomes for the course:

• Identify common executive function and study skill challenges that affect students’ academic success, including organization, prioritization, procrastination, and task completion.
• Analyze ineffective study techniques and passive review methods, understanding how they impact student performance and exploring alternatives that foster active learning and retention.'
• Apply evidence-based study techniques—such as retrieval practice, spaced repetition, and summarization—as well as visual and embodied cognition strategies, to help students improve memory and comprehension.
• Develop effective timelines and prioritization systems with students for organizing study sessions, tackling nightly assignments, and preparing for long-term projects or exams.
• Implement strategies to address procrastination’s root causes, such as time blindness, perfectionism, and difficulty with task initiation, using incremental steps, personal deadlines, and time-management tools.
• Design productive study and homework environments that reduce distractions, incorporating technology to support focus, organization, and study structure while minimizing potential digital distractions.
• Guide parents and caregivers in gradually transferring support responsibilities to foster student independence, confidence, and resilience, reducing learned helplessness.