Executive Functioning, Language, and Cognitive Supports for Independent Learners

This workshop is part of the four-day literacy institute, The Strategic Classroom: Bridging Literacy and Executive Function.  Take this individual workshop — or mix and match days and half-days — to build a personalized experience, or join the full institute.

When educators put the right language routines and cognitive supports in place, students gain the tools to tackle challenging texts, sustain focus, and think flexibly on their own. This session connects executive functioning, oral language, and literacy to give you a research-grounded toolkit for building student independence. You’ll practice discussion moves that lead conversation about tasks, explore language supports that build cognitive flexibility — including sentence frames, revoicing techniques, contrastive routines, and think-alouds — and get hands-on time with virtual tools like Snorkl, Padlet, Canva, ChatGPT, and MentalUP. In the afternoon, you’ll analyze a grade-level text, anticipate barriers, and design ready-to-use scaffolds to bring back to your classroom.  

 Key Learning Objectives: 

• A clear framework for how executive functioning drives reading comprehension, task management, and student independence  
• Discussion moves that lead conversation about tasks, deepen thinking, and build cognitive flexibility during classroom talk  
• Language supports — including sentence frames, revoicing techniques, contrastive routines, and think-alouds — that make flexible thinking visible and repeatable for students  
• Practical experience with virtual tools that support planning, collaboration, and move to more student independence  
• Classroom-ready scaffolds and routines designed to promote self-regulation and independence across content areas 

Time:       9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET Virtual attendance
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET In-Person attendance
NYCTLE: 3 or 6 hours depending on attendance