Teacher Checklist | Scrappy Teachers

Teacher Executive Function Checklist

Put a check next to all that apply when it is a significant struggle for YOU. This should help you understand which executive functions are areas of strength and which are areas for concern.

Inhibition

Puts off unpleasant tasks (e.g., tidying desk, marking assignments)

Distracted by phone during class time

Cannot resist telling a personal story, unrelated to the lesson at hand

Students are uncomfortable with comments made unrelated to course work

Has a hard time sitting still

Talks with colleagues at the front door or in the hallway during work time

Distracts students during test or quiet work time to tell them something irrelevant

Working Memory

Starts the steps of a task without planning for the entire process

Starts teaching a lesson without necessary materials (e.g., items for game)

Regularly photocopies at the last minute

Misplaces personal belongings in classroom

Forgets to bring home items for grading (e.g., rubrics)

Forgets about supervision or events happening in the school

Takes longer than colleagues to learn students’ names

Shift

Rushes to class

Has trouble finding different ways to explain a concept or problem

Bothered by unexpected changes (e.g., fire alarm, library closed, unexpected announcements)

Holds a grudge with colleague(s)

Delays planning for a major task (e.g., planning new unit)

Has difficulty imagining another person’s perspective

Will not stop working on task until it is complete

Emotional Control

Irritated when work is too challenging (asks “why am I doing this?”)

Becomes emotional when frustrated with students

Acts without thinking of the consequence

Moody

Holds on to angry feelings

Gets upset quickly

Cries during parent-teacher conference or during a lesson

Monitor

Makes careless errors when writing emails to parents or colleagues

Starts tasks but does not always finish them

Does not have the materials necessary for a task

Is often distracted when working on a task

Relies on colleagues to check work

Develops assignment descriptions that are convoluted and confusing

focuses too long on an unimportant part of the lesson (e.g., hook)

Initiation

Has a hard time getting started at the beginning of a day

Does not seem very excited about much

Easily distracted during the early stages of a task

Feels defeated about tasks during planning stage

Does not effectively prioritize tasks

Falls behind in school-wide assessments or tracking

Forgets to do attendance

Organization (Materials & Planning)

Students are not sure where to find classroom items

Does not have an agenda for students

Maintains a messy desk

Does not have a reliable filing system (e.g., computer files, emails, sorting photocopies and completed assignments)

Planning is done last minute

Field trips are disorganized (e.g., forms incomplete, expectations vague)

Does not reliably maintain classroom webpage (e.g., Google Classroom)

How many checks represent a concern? There is no specific quantity of checks that represent a concern. To identify what supports to prioritize, consider how much of a problem is caused by each item.

ANALYSIS: Executive functions are deeply interrelated so interpret these results thoughtfully. For example, “Maintains a messy desk” is an item listed under Organization (Materials and Planning) but it might just as well be listed under Inhibition. After all, there are many reasons why a teacher does not have a tidy desk.

The Checklist was designed as a tool for helping teachers. It is a work-in-progress.

If you have questions or suggestions for additional examples, please email them to jeffrey.maccormack@uleth.ca.