How everyday schoolwork helps teens practice planning, problem-solving, and greater independence.
Sometimes executive function coaching involves working on actual school assignments.
We might work through a challenging math problem, look at an upcoming essay, or figure out how to approach several missing assignments.
From the outside, that can look a lot like tutoring.
And it's a fair question for parents to ask: What's the difference?
When I'm working with a student on an assignment, I'm also paying attention to the executive function skills involved in completing it.
How are they approaching the task?
What happens when they get stuck?
Can they recognize what they need and identify a possible next step?
The assignment gives us an opportunity to practice those skills in a situation that's already relevant to them.
Schoolwork Gives Us Something Real to Practice With
I like thinking of academic content as the canvas for developing executive function skills.
A student might understand the material but still struggle with getting started, organizing their approach, keeping track of the steps, or figuring out what to do when something isn’t working.
Those are opportunities to practice executive function skills in a situation that’s already relevant to them.
For example, if we’re working on a challenging math assignment, I will be paying attention to:
How does the student approach an unfamiliar problem?
What happens when they get stuck?
Can they identify where they lost track of their thinking?
Do they know what resources are available when they need help?
We may still work through the math together. But we’re also developing a process the student can return to when they encounter another challenging problem.
Helping Students Develop a Process
One thing I often work on with students is developing a repeatable process for approaching something difficult.
Let’s stay with the math example.
Rather than working through each problem together and moving on, we might develop a process that looks something like this:
1. Understand the task. What is the question asking? What information do I have?
2. Make a plan. Have I seen a similar problem? What might be a good first step?
3. Try an approach. Work through the problem and keep track of the steps.
4. Notice when I’m stuck. Where did I lose track? What part is confusing?
5. Decide what to try next. Can I look back at an example, use another resource, or ask someone for help?
We might write those questions down and create a resource the student can use between sessions.
Over time, we’re practicing planning, metacognition, self-monitoring, and problem-solving alongside the academic content.
And that process can be adjusted for other situations, too.
What Happens When They Say “I Don’t Know”?
This connects to something I explored in What Comes After “I Don't Know, where I looked at what students might need when they're unsure how to move forward.
When I ask a student, “What could you try next?” I might hear:
“I don’t know.”
That’s useful information.
Maybe they need more time. Maybe they’re having trouble identifying where they got stuck. Maybe they know several possible approaches but aren’t sure which one to choose.
I might narrow the question, offer a couple of options to consider together, or ask what they’ve tried before.
The amount of support can change depending on what the student needs.
And as they become more familiar with the process, I want them to begin recognizing which questions to ask themselves.
What Parents Might Notice
If your teen is receiving executive function coaching, progress may show up in ways that go beyond a completed assignment.
You might notice that they:
Begin checking upcoming work with less prompting.
Break a larger assignment into smaller parts.
Recognize when they’re stuck and communicate what they need.
Return to a strategy they’ve practiced before.
Start asking for help earlier.
These changes take practice, and they won’t necessarily happen consistently right away.
A student may be able to manage a process independently one week and need additional scaffolding the next, depending on the task and what’s happening in their life.
That’s part of why I like practicing these skills with real assignments. We get to see what works, where the process breaks down, and what might need adjusting.
This Week’s Action Step
The next time you’re helping your teen with an assignment, pay attention to the process they’re using.
Once you’ve worked through it together, try asking:
“What’s one part of what we did today that you could use again next time?”
Maybe it’s writing down the steps, checking an example, identifying the first action, or knowing who to ask for help.
Give them a chance to identify what was useful.
That reflection can help them begin recognizing which strategies work for them and when to use them.
Interested in Executive Function Coaching?
I work with teens to develop executive function skills through the real responsibilities and challenges they're navigating in everyday life.
Together, we identify what's getting in the way, develop strategies, practice them, and reflect on what works.
If you're curious whether executive function coaching could be a good fit for your teen, I'd love to connect.
[Schedule a Free 20-Minute Discovery Call]
You can also join our free Raising Executive Function community for practical strategies and conversations with other parents and caregivers.
