Changing How We Think, Changing How We Learn: Scaffolding Executive Function Processes for Students With Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Students with learning disabilities have been reported to have difficulty in a number of different executive function processes that affect their academic performance (Singer & Bashir, 1999). Executive function difficulties for students with learning disabilities have been implicated as the reason why these students struggle with complex academic tasks such as reading, writing, and note-taking (Denckla, 2007). This mixed-methods study explored the extent to which a strategic note-taking intervention encouraged more efficient employment of executive function in middle school students with learning disabilities. This paper draws on interviews, students' notes, and pre- and postintervention assessments to present case studies of three student participants. Results indicate that the strategic note-taking intervention served as a scaffold, opening up new pathways for struggling students to access executive functions and flexibly deploy cognitive strategies. Importantly, how each student did so and what each student learned about her/himself as a learner in the process were dependent on the specific challenges presented by her/his learning disability. These cases shed light on the potential for cognitive scaffolding to help students actively improve their own executive functioning in complex tasks such as note-taking.