Students need to understand the why behind the work that they are doing, and in particularneurodivergentnt students need that connection to push past the difficulty of activation and to find the work more interesting. This can be a simple statement, but should include both the connection to the class material and the type of assessment that is being completed (formative vs summative).

Some of things to include in this statement may be what skills the students should be practicing while doing the work, including skills like reading, researching, analyzing, and creating something new. Be sure to include how and where the assignment connects to the class content, and note if there is an opportunity to pick content that could be personal to the student. Finally, let them know if they should be more focused on learning something from doing the assignment or focused on showing what they are capable of to be assessed. Is this assignment more for practice or is it for the instructor to check on their progress?

Here are some examples:

Claim Evaluation

To determine the scientific legitimacy of a claim made from a news source. You will read a news article about a scientific study and examine the scientific literature from a peer-reviewed source, then use critical thinking skills and scientific knowledge to compare these. This assignment gives you practice in reading and understanding a scientific paper, comparing scientific information, and evaluating accuracy.

Microbial Disease Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to examine the causative agent of a disease and consider how its structure, function, and characteristics relate to its disease-causing capabilities and control methods. This assignment asks you to apply all of the various aspects of microbiology that were covered across the semester to a single organism to show that you can understand all of these topics, connect them to something new, and accurately look up and determine the key pieces of information needed to diagnose and treat microbial diseases.

One of the hardest things for students with neurodivergence is being able to take generalized information about an assignment and know what a finished assignment should look like. Therefore, being able to describe a finished product as accurately as possible is paramount to students being able to create their own product. If possible, providing one or more examples of a completed assignment is one of the most helpful things that you can include here.

Things to spell out specifically and completely should include:

• The expected mode, i.e., a document file submitted on Brightspace or a printed out typed essay or an individual oral presentation with slideshow.
• The expected length, i.e., 3-5 pages, 10 minute of speaking, a completed and functional circuit with all pieces
• Any required details
  • Font size
  • Spacing
  • Number of words
  • Images needed
  • Visuals or displays
  • Document type
  • Expectations of grammar/spelling
  • References

Be as specific and explicit as you can be while still providing enough space for the assignments to turn out differently, if that is the expectation. Those with neurodivergence often have trouble with implied concepts or ideas, so avoid those whenever possible. Even if you think something is clear enough - define it further!

Being able to infer the use of specific tools or technology from the description of the final product is a complex executive function skill. Many students with deficiencies in these areas will have trouble making those connections or will do so after starting the project leaving them in a confused or stuck position without the ability to ask an immediate question. Let students know what you expect they need to complete the assignment. Be specific and spell things out - even if they seem obvious to you!

Technology and Physical Tools

If students will need to create a word document, slideshow, a video, PDF, etc., you should clarify that separately from the description of the finished product. Be clear about the computer programs that would work, or in some cases not work, for creating what is expected. For example:

You will need to have a typed file that includes formatting and has an embedded graph. You can use Microsoft Word and Excel to make this, Google Docs anGoogle Sheets. Other similar programs may work, but double check with your instructor.

If there is an expectation that technology will be needed to do online research or work with audio/video, also state that separately.

If you are expecting a physical product, for example, a poster, a piece of art, or a printed and turned in report, clarify the details of that item. What is the size, weight, and other requirements? If it must be stapled, let the student know. If the student may need to plan around using school facilities, like a photo dark room or a specific computer lab, mention that along with the hours that those places are available.

Sources

Be clear which class sources and out of class sources will be used for this. Cover the following if needed:

• Class textbook or other provided reading
• Provided videos, audio, etc.
• Website sources
  • Be sure to clarify and provide examples as to what types of websites are expected and acceptable
• Library sources
  • Books - do you expect these to be physical or digital?
  • Articles - give examples of databases that the students would use to find these sources
  • Let students know if you expect them to go physically to the library or to use the library web site. Also, remind them that there are librarians to ask questions of, including a library online chat.

Other People

Sometimes the resource needed is another person! If there is an expectation that it would be helpful to work with a librarian, a tutor, a writing coach, or even another student- include that in the instructions. Remind the student explicitly that you, as the instructor, are a resource to check in with if you think that would be helpful. Students do not realize that they can run parts of a project by their instructor, they often think that it must be entirely complete and almost ready to turn in, which means they wait too long for help. Clarifying this can really give a student with executive dysfunction a clear reminder to work with available resources.

One of our most important executive functions is the ability to see a large scale problem and find clear action steps to take that will make progress on that problem. This entire process is lacking in students with executive dysfunction, and honestly, can be lacking in any younger student with less experience pulling apart large projects. Skills like this are rarely taught in K-12 education, therefore giving some examples and direction is extremely helpful.

Provide the students with a series of action steps and an associated expected time for those to take. You can give multiple options if that makes sense. These steps should be non-ambiguous and something that can be done in 15-60 minutes. Here is an example:

• Lookupup, using appropriateedudu websites, basic information on osmosis including key terms and definitions, examples of osmosis in the body, and what happens in different situations. Take notes on these concepts including where your info came from. 45-60 minutes
• Typeout answers to the required questions that will form the introduction of your lab using these notes. Be sure these are rephrased into your own words and not copied. 30 minutes
• Review these answers and try to connect them into appropriate paragraphs and include the in-text citations when necessary. 15-20 minutes

Other action steps that may be useful depending upon the assignment could include:

• Brainstorm a list of possible ideas, and then choose three you like the sound of. 20 minutes
• Make an outline of the topics that you plan to cover with just a bit of information about each one. 30 minutes
• Use a library database to find 2 papers on your topic by reading the abstracts and seeing if they fit. Print/save these. 30 minutes
• Read an article and take notes about key things related to your topic. Be sure to note where in the article those items are to reference later. 45 minutes
• Set-up a slide show by choosing a nice looking background and putting headers in the slides as an outline of your major topics. 30-45 minutes

It is also important to include an overall timeline for the assignment, especially if it is something that will take a number of weeks to work on. This timeline should include check-in points or specific items that would be expected to be completed by the halfway or three-quarter marks so that a student who has trouble seeing the big picture can tell if they are getting behind.

Students often feel that no one should look at their work in progress until it is nearly completed. There are a combination of reasons for this, but often, they worry that they will be judged based on their unfinished, imperfect project. This leads to lowered self-esteem and procrastination about being capable of completing a project. Building in clear procedures of review and revision can alleviate these fears by clarifying that improvement is part of the process.

Another problem students with executive dysfunction have is difficulty with time horizons: something is either due far in the future or RIGHT NOW with very little ability to find an in between. Setting specific timelines on reviews and revisions can help these students by placing middle time points that act to provide a sense of urgency without the need for everything to be complete or perfect at those times.

Scaffolded Assignment Pieces

A great way to do this is by making a series of check-ins part of the grading process. For written assignments, one way to do this might be the following:

• An outline
• A rough draft
• A final draft

Each of the above items would have a date that it is due on, and a credit amount associated with it. If a student misses one of these, they can jump to the next one OR turn in the previous one at the next due date. The credit amount increases with each assignment. An outline can earn up 30% of the total points if done well. A rough draft can earn up to 70% of the points, and a completed draft can earn up to 100%, and each grade supersedes the previous one. If a student skips the outline, but turns in an excellent draft, that’s okay. If a student does a good outline, but never writes the draft, at least they have some points.

The key with this process is that each piece of the assignment has a clear due date and reminders, and that students see those separately from the final end date. These middle dates keep them on track, and allow for mistakes before that final day hits.

External Review Reminders

Even if the assignment cannot be broken down into clearly gradable separate pieces, it is worth giving students a dated series of review reminders and suggestions for who should review. If possible, provide time to compare notes in class. Here’s a possible example:

• A completed presentation to be given in class on Dec 3rd
  • Prepare an outline of ths slideshow and bring it to class on Oct 10th for a round-robin review
  • Draft at least 50% of the slides and set-up a meeting with a tutor to review by Oct 24th
  • Use 30 minutes of class time on Nov 12th to have students go over their presentations in small groups
  • Have students run their entire slideshow by a tutor by Nov 20th
  • Book extra times in a classroom on Nov 28th and 30th where students can stop in to practice

Asking students to meet with a tutor by a particular time and provide evidence of that meeting for 5 bonus points on the final project might be another way to build in an external review.

Big assignments are scary! Remind the students that your goal is not to ask something that’s too hard for most people, but to provide a way to see student progress and learning. Something like the following can be surprisingly effective:

This assignment might take a significant amount of time and energy, and I will be grading them to a high standard, but I know that every student in this class is capable of completing it and producing good work. I will provide support and feedback as needed if you come to me to review your work within the stated time frame. I would not ask this much of you if I did not think you could do it and that it will be helpful to you in the future.

Embedding Executive Functions into Assignments Video

Neurodiversity in the classroom and strategies to help - slides

ADHD in the classroom factsheet