Many teenagers struggle to do academic work independently; this is a skill they must be taught. Executive functioning, a necessary component for independent work, encompasses a wide range of skills including organization, planning, working memory, sustained focus and self-monitoring. While it’s natural for teens to struggle with executive functioning, it is a particular challenge for many students with disabilities. We have an obligation to teach the skills necessary for independent work to all of our students and we must be particularly thoughtful and intentional about how we teach those skills to students with disabilities in our classes.

This has led to our PoP: How might we give students with disabilities strategies for increasing independent work on projects?