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This week, I'll teach you how to guide your students to be proactive.
Being proactive is an executive function skill and mindset shift in which students anticipate future responsibilities and plan their time and actions accordingly.
Proactive habits stand in stark contrast to the habit of being reactive, which is characterized by responding to problems after they occur.
Why does being proactive matter?
Teaching students to be proactive empowers them to feel a greater sense of agency over their educational experience.
When students are proactive, they enjoy many benefits, including:
Heightened sense of executive control over personal challenges
Decreased anxiety around upcoming deadlines
Enhanced confidence at their capability to anticipate outcomes
Individuals who are proactive not only enjoy more success in school, but they also have better outcomes in their adult lives.
Why?
A proactive employee or business owner is always a step ahead, whereas, those who just "wing it" or react to life's circumstances do not enjoy "authoring" their own destiny.
P.S. I love the connection between the word "author" and "authority" -- when you choose to "author" your ideas you can become an "authority" 🤓
What is stopping students from being proactive?
There are many reasons students fail to be proactive.
For one, most students don't realize that they can develop the skill of being proactive with directed attention.
Many students unconsciously position themselves as victims, believing that things that are within their control are actually out of their control.
For example, how many times have you or a student say things like:
There is not enough time in the day.
I can't make time to do that.
I don't have time to get everything done!
The common thread in these statements is the idea that time is somehow happening to them rather than the reality that each of us chooses how to use time as we see fit.
When students feel that the events in their world are happening TO them, they tend to react.
This is why I tell students that they can choose to think of things as happening "TO ME" or "FOR ME."
The result of the TO ME mindset is that they often:
Fall behind
Get exhausted when they try to "catch up"
Cram
Experience anxiety that leads to depression
All of this leads to increased anxiety, not learning proactive habits, and not being prepared for college or working environments.
Fortunately, you can teach them how to be proactive by changing their mindset and taking action.
How students can be proactive in 3 steps
For students to be proactive, they need to learn the art and science of "managing up."
Managing up emphasizes proactive communication and collaboration between a student and their teachers.
This is a conceptual shift that research shows can have a significant impact on student achievement:
For this article, we will refer to managing up as the "Managing Your Bosses" (MYB) strategy. I've found students in executive function coaching sessions enjoying the conceptual shift of managing their bosses, rather than being told what to do.
Another reason MYB works is because it gives the teacher a chance to provide input and guidance on how to achieve the goal, fostering a sense of collective efficacy between teacher and student.
This also has a very strong correlation with succeesful student outcomes according to research.
By building a more transparent and responsive relationship, both the student and the teacher to understand each other's needs, expectations, and working style and can "co-create" a successful semester.
Without further ado, here is how to teach your student to manage their bosses in 3 steps.
Step 1: Have your student share their goal for the semester with their teachers 📧
To activate the power of collective efficacy, your student will need to share their goal with their teacher and create an accountability partner from their teacher.
Have your student copy and paste the following template into their email and adjust it for each teacher:
Subject: My goal for this semester
Hi (Teacher Name),
I hope you had a great summer!
My goal for this semester is to earn a (grade you want) in your class.
With that shared, do you have any suggestions for me on how I can reach my goal?
I plan to do the following:
(share any ideas you have to reach your goal).
Additionally, I’d like to share a bit about my learning style with you:
(share any unique learning disability or challenges, along with preferred accommodations here).
I look forward to working together with you this semester to reach my goals.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
You can download our free library of email templates (including the one above), by clicking here.
Remember, just by writing down their goal, your student has increased their chance of achieving it by 50%, according to research.
Step 2: Teach your student how to turn on templates
Now, have your student turn on templates in Gmail so that they don't need to re-write the email each time.
This small tweak saves SO much time and will also make them think you are pretty cutting edge. 😎
Here is an easy to follow Youtube video explaining how to do that:
Step 3: Teach your student how to set up "check points" with their teachers throughout the semester
Now that the teacher is aware of your student's goal, your student will need to manage their teacher throughout the semester.
Using the following email template, the student can seek feedback on assignments before the deadline, thus giving them the best chance of earning their desired grade in the class.
Subject: Requesting Your Feedback
Hi (Teacher Name),
I’ve been working on the assignments, (assignment name) for your class and have completed a draft of it.
Would you please review it and provide me with feedback on how I can get closer to achieving my goal of earning a (desired grade) on this assignment?
Also, is there anything else you suggest I do to work toward my goal of earning a (desired grade) in your class?
Thank you for your guidance.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
I've used this process with dozens of students in hundreds of executive function coaching sessions and can say with absolute certainty that IT WORKS.
Conclusion
Helping your student start the semester strong doesn't have to be complicated.
In fact, it can be as simple as showing them a few hacks and "activating" their teachers so the teacher is aware of the student's long term goal.
Start by teaching your student the "Managing Your Bosses" method. Just follow these steps:
Have your student write down their goal for each class
Copy the email template and have them send one to each teacher
Teach them how to check in with their teachers during the semester.
These small actions can help your student feel executive authority over their school experience.
This helps their education, but it also prepares them for the rigors of employment and adult life.
Hope this helps 🤙🏻
Sean
P.S. These are skills that executive function coaches work on with their students. If you want to try working on them with your students, consider joining hundreds of other educators and parents who have completed my Semester Success Blueprint Course. In less than 2 hours, this comprehensive course will teach you and your student the system I developed to help hundreds of students learn how to manage school effectively and raise their self-awareness and engagement with school.
About Me
Hey! I'm Sean 👋
I'm a former public school special education teacher who realized that executive function skills are more important than knowing when George Washington crossed the Potomac.
Since then, I've made it my mission to teach anyone who will listen about how to develop these key life skills.
In 2020, I founded Executive Function Specialists to ensure all students with ADHD and Autism have access to high-quality online executive function coaching services. We offer online EF coaching and courses to help students and families.
Realizing I could only reach so many people through coaching, in 2021 I started the Executive Function Coaching Academy which trains schools, educators, and individuals to learn the key strategies to improve executive function skills for students.
In 2023, I co-founded of UpSkill Specialists, to provide neurodivergent adults with high-quality executive function coaching services.
When not pursuing my passions through work, I love spending time with my family, getting exercise, and expanding my brain through reading. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.