Students who experience trauma may have ongoing difficulties with executive function skills—including working memory, a skill that’s foundational to attention, focus, and school success. Part of an essential new series of laminated quick guides for preK–12 educators, this is your concise, practical introduction to supporting students who struggle with working memory.

Jen Alexander and Jennifer Dickey, educators and experts on trauma-sensitive schools, guide you through this important topic in a friendly, warm, and personal style. They’ll give you the insight you need to understand your students’ needs, plus practical guidance, tools, and real-world ideas you can use right away to support working memory and set every learner up for success. Inside this quick guide, you’ll:

Review how working memory functions and the role it plays in academic achievement
Learn how to recognize working memory challenges in your students
Adjust the way you think about and talk to students who struggle with working memory
Get specific tips, strategies, and tools to support your students’ working memory

PRACTICAL DOWNLOADS INCLUDED! 10 interactive downloads—including exercises, lesson plans, games, conversation prompts, and student supports—expand on the tips in this quick guide and help you apply your learning.

About the Series: Quick Guides for Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools

Practical, friendly, and immediately useful, this series of laminated quick guides addresses the essentials of building trauma-sensitive schools—safety, connection, regulation, and learning. Jen Alexander has collaborated with experts around the globe to bring educators tips, strategies, and activities they can apply right away in their classroom and school. Each guide in the series also includes downloadable lesson plans and exercises that educators can use to take action. Equally useful for experienced trauma-sensitive educators or those just getting started, these quick guides will help school staff create environments that support every person’s well-being and learning.

Supporting Students' Executive Function Skills in the Trauma-Sensitive Classroom - lehtivihko, moniste, Englanti, 2023