SMARTS is…Strategies: Executive function strategies, sometimes called executive function skills, empower help students to manage demanding academic school work, allowing them to focus their effort and show what they know. When student use strategies effectively, they think and problem solve more flexibly.
Motivation: When students learn strategies that allow them to complete their homework and school work, which previously seemed impossible, they are more motivated to work hard.
Awareness: SMARTS teaches students to develop metacognitive awareness, so they understand how they think and learn. With this knowledge, students can select the strategies that work best for them and can apply these strategies to assignments in all their classes.
Resilience: Once students have learned executive function strategies and understand their learning profiles, they develop resilient approaches to learning. When faced with challenges, they apply strategies rather than giving in to frustration.
Talents: Strategies and metacognitive awareness allow students to leverage their talents, applying their strengths in creative ways so that they can overcome challenges and succeed.
Success: With SMARTS, all students gain the tools they need to succeed. When students understand their learning profiles and use the SMARTS strategies to complete their homework and school work, they are more motivated to persist in the face of challenges.
SMARTS WorksAs students advance through the grades, their academic performance is increasingly dependent on their ability to organize and prioritize complex information, shift flexibly, access working memory, and self-monitor, all critically important executive function processes. Many students, especially those with learning and attention difficulties, become less productive in secondary school because they have not learned the strategies needed to access these important executive function processes.
Students who successfully complete the SMARTS program show increased motivation to learn, stronger effort, and a desire to use executive function strategies in their school work, homework, and studying. Students also develop the self-understanding to know which strategies work best for them as well as why, where, when and how to use these strategies in their academic work.
What is SMARTS?SMARTS contains practical tools to teach executive function strategies, also known as executive function skills, for organization, time management, planning, prioritizing, flexible thinking, self-monitoring and checking, and memory. With SMARTS, students develop the self-understanding to know which strategies work for them as well as why, where, when and how to use strategies to complete their homework, to plan for long-term projects, and to study for tests.
What grades is SMARTS designed for?SMARTS is designed for grades 6-12. However, by adapting the difficulty of SMARTS activities, SMARTS would be appropriate with younger or older students as young as grade 4 all the way up to college.
Is SMARTS only for students with learning differences?No. SMARTS benefits ALL students by helping them to “learn about how they learn” across every subject area.
Where can I use SMARTS?SMARTS can be used in special education settings, such as study skills classes or learning centers, as well as in traditional classrooms.
How long is each session?Each SMARTS lesson can be taught in one class period or in segments across multiple class periods. We know your time is valuable — we’ve designed easy breaking points within lessons.
Can I teach SMARTS lessons in any order?Yes! Simply select lessons to match your curriculum goals and the needs of your students. When you subscribe to SMARTS, we’ll provide you with resources to help you chose and schedule lessons based upon your time, your curriculum, and your school.
What are the benefits of adding SMARTS to my teaching?Students’ academic success depends on their ability to plan, organize materials and information, think flexibly, and monitor their own progress. SMARTS provides you with ready-to-use lessons to teach students executive function strategies that help them learn how to learn. By fostering a culture of strategy use in your classroom, you can help students improve academically and increase their academic self-confidence and their effort to succeed.
How much does it cost?A Full Access License for the SMARTS Online Executive Function Program costs $575 for one teacher. This includes
Motivation: When students learn strategies that allow them to complete their homework and school work, which previously seemed impossible, they are more motivated to work hard.
Awareness: SMARTS teaches students to develop metacognitive awareness, so they understand how they think and learn. With this knowledge, students can select the strategies that work best for them and can apply these strategies to assignments in all their classes.
Resilience: Once students have learned executive function strategies and understand their learning profiles, they develop resilient approaches to learning. When faced with challenges, they apply strategies rather than giving in to frustration.
Talents: Strategies and metacognitive awareness allow students to leverage their talents, applying their strengths in creative ways so that they can overcome challenges and succeed.
Success: With SMARTS, all students gain the tools they need to succeed. When students understand their learning profiles and use the SMARTS strategies to complete their homework and school work, they are more motivated to persist in the face of challenges.
SMARTS WorksAs students advance through the grades, their academic performance is increasingly dependent on their ability to organize and prioritize complex information, shift flexibly, access working memory, and self-monitor, all critically important executive function processes. Many students, especially those with learning and attention difficulties, become less productive in secondary school because they have not learned the strategies needed to access these important executive function processes.
Students who successfully complete the SMARTS program show increased motivation to learn, stronger effort, and a desire to use executive function strategies in their school work, homework, and studying. Students also develop the self-understanding to know which strategies work best for them as well as why, where, when and how to use these strategies in their academic work.
What is SMARTS?SMARTS contains practical tools to teach executive function strategies, also known as executive function skills, for organization, time management, planning, prioritizing, flexible thinking, self-monitoring and checking, and memory. With SMARTS, students develop the self-understanding to know which strategies work for them as well as why, where, when and how to use strategies to complete their homework, to plan for long-term projects, and to study for tests.
What grades is SMARTS designed for?SMARTS is designed for grades 6-12. However, by adapting the difficulty of SMARTS activities, SMARTS would be appropriate with younger or older students as young as grade 4 all the way up to college.
Is SMARTS only for students with learning differences?No. SMARTS benefits ALL students by helping them to “learn about how they learn” across every subject area.
Where can I use SMARTS?SMARTS can be used in special education settings, such as study skills classes or learning centers, as well as in traditional classrooms.
How long is each session?Each SMARTS lesson can be taught in one class period or in segments across multiple class periods. We know your time is valuable — we’ve designed easy breaking points within lessons.
Can I teach SMARTS lessons in any order?Yes! Simply select lessons to match your curriculum goals and the needs of your students. When you subscribe to SMARTS, we’ll provide you with resources to help you chose and schedule lessons based upon your time, your curriculum, and your school.
What are the benefits of adding SMARTS to my teaching?Students’ academic success depends on their ability to plan, organize materials and information, think flexibly, and monitor their own progress. SMARTS provides you with ready-to-use lessons to teach students executive function strategies that help them learn how to learn. By fostering a culture of strategy use in your classroom, you can help students improve academically and increase their academic self-confidence and their effort to succeed.
How much does it cost?A Full Access License for the SMARTS Online Executive Function Program costs $575 for one teacher. This includes
- 30 executive function strategy lesson plans with accompanying PowerPoint presentations, videos, and handouts
- SMARTS Training Videos to help you get the most out of the curriculum
- Planning Resources you can use to select the best lessons for your students and prepare to teach
- Surveys to help you and your students understand their learning profile of strengths and challenges