The Reading Brain: Executive Function
Hard at Work
LDA
America: 3.14.2020 by Linda Hecker
When I talk with educators across the
country, they often lament that students don’t read much anymore, especially in
the face of ubiquitous social and multimedia distractions. Even students with
intact decoding and fluency complain that reading is just too hard, not worth the
effort.
Why is reading such a challenge for so
many?
One often overlooked factor is the role
that executive function plays when we engage with text. Broadly put, executive
function (EF) describes the cognitive processes that regulate self-directed
behavior toward a goal.
Anytime we plan, prioritize and
organize; maintain effort and focus over time; use working memory; resist
temptation; or suppress a negative emotion, we engage our EF. It is well
established that our EF processes require more mental effort and cognitive
resources than routine or automatic behaviors. We can even measure the higher
amounts of glucose (the brain’s fuel) that EF processes consume.
If we think about what students face
when they tackle a textbook, we can see EF at work, from planning where and
when to read to extracting meaning in a way that supports understanding,
retaining and applying information. In short, reading equals hard mental work.
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Brown’s
model includes six areas of EF that act singly and in combinations to shape behavior:
1. Activation
The first step in reading involves
planning and preparing to read.
2. Focus
At the point-of-performance, our EF
switches to maintaining focus and effort.
3. Effort
We may need to break a long reading into
manageable chunks, with short breaks for rewards, hydration and aerobic
exercise.
4. Working memory
Working memory is taxed heavily by text
reading.
5. Emotion
If this is an assigned text that’s not
intrinsically interesting or appealing, our first task is to tamp down
reluctance and resistance.
6. Action
Action refers to the ability to monitor
behaviors to see if they are advancing us towards our goals or leading us
astray.
Based on (7) readability formulas:
Grade Level: 10
Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.
Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. Old
(Ninth to Tenth graders)
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