Frontier Science: What are executive functions and how do they help children learn maths and science?

Executive functions are a set of cognitive skills that help us to guide and control our attention, thoughts and behaviour in order to think flexibly, work towards goals and ignore distractions. They develop slowly throughout childhood and adolescence but there can also be considerable variation between individuals. Executive functions are consistent predictors of academic outcomes, such that a child with good executive functions is likely to do well at school. In this session I will review our recent research investigating the role that different aspects of executive function play in maths and science learning at primary and secondary level and make some suggestions about both what can, and what can’t, be done in the classroom to support these important learning skills.