Executive Function Strategies Blog

Test-taking can rattle even the smoothest student. Kids can feel like they’re heading into a vast unknown, hostile territory when they walk into the classroom and face that exam. Before your child gets all Ernest Shackleton on you, assure him or her that there are ways to tame that test anxiety and “show what you know”. This week, we consulted with two top learning experts and combined our superpowers to share with you our top 10 tips for overcoming test anxiety and preparing effectively for tests.

Editor's note: This week, we welcome guest blogger Ben Sexton, founder of Sexton Test Prep and Tutoring, located in Wellesley, MA. Please read his complete bio below.

This week, we have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Janice Prochaska, president and CEO of Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc., and a renowned researcher in the field of social work (please read her full bio below). She and her husband Dr. James Prochaska are leaders in the science of behavior change.

As Executive Function coaches, we apply the Prochaskas’ research about the way people change their habits in our work with students. Our method of coaching students to develop effective study habits is based on the Transtheoretical Model (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983; Prochaska, DiClemente, & Norcross, 1992). This model shows how people go through a series of stages in their thinking before they change their actions, and each particular stage requires different coaching strategies. We are honored that Dr. James Prochaska and Dr. Janice Prochaska have endorsed our adaptation of the model to working with students on their Executive Function and academic challenges.

I won’t forget the day I took the road test to earn my license.  I’d been (reluctantly) attending three-hour classes on Saturday mornings and cruising around with both my mom and dad (who, by the way, took drastically different approaches to educating me on the nuances of driving).  By the time my road test came, I’d felt that I had practiced enough, studied enough, and focused enough to walk away with a piece of plastic that would finally give me the freedom to cart myself all over town.