The Time Tracker Program

IntroductIon to the tIme tracker Program

In a high school classroom, two students sitting side by side hear the same verbal instructions for an ELA homework assignment to create online flashcards with clipart for their weekly vocabulary list. Student A demon - strates strong EF skills in this context as she immediately pictures herself at home that night. She mentally reviews her schedule and realizes that her first stretch of productive time will be at 8 p.m. She visualizes the 25 completed flashcards and reviews the materials she will need for this assignment: the class vocabulary handout, the class’s online dictionary, and the online flashcard program. She also visualizes the steps she will need to take: finding and typing the definitions for the vocabulary words and adding clipart images. She moves her hand in a simple gesture that reflects that she is picturing a block of time in her schedule and getting the flashcards done by 9 p.m. This will leave her with just 90 minutes before bedtime to finish a math worksheet and to study for a science test the next day. She feels uncomfortable about that limited amount of time and uses inner speech or self-directed talk as she imagines and gestures a different scenario: “If I use my free block to finish the math worksheet, then I can use the 90 minutes left before bedtime just to study for science, and that feels better to me because I want to get a good grade on that test (plus Dad promised me extra gaming time this weekend if I do). It would be great if I could raise my grade from a B+ to an A-.” When a friend asks her to go out to get a snack during her free block, she says, “I’d like to, but I have a lot of homework” (she spreads out her hands as she gestures the volume of work). She completes the math worksheet during her free block. That night, she finishes the flashcards as planned, and she excels on her science test the next day. Student B, who is sitting right beside her in class, has struggled to develop and apply EF skills in academic settings. He hears the ELA flashcard assignment and has a general thought, “I need to make flashcards.” He spends his free block hanging out with friends. The day passes until 9:15 p.m., when Student B’s parents ask if he has completed his homework. He looks at the homework posted on the school website. This includes making the vocabulary flashcards as well as reminders to finish a math worksheet and to study for tomorrow’s science test. This student has left his vocabulary handout at school. He texts a friend to ask her to take a picture of hers and send a copy but receives no return text. He manages to finish his math worksheet by 10:30 p.m., but he has an uncomfortably short amount of time left to study for his science test. Realizing that he has still received no return text about the ELA vocabulary list, he responds with negative self-talk: “Ugh, I remember a few of the words, but what’s the point if I can’t finish the whole thing? I’ll have to ask for another extension.” He has been anxious about his science grade and opens his textbook to study, but his anxiety rises as he encounters a difficult concept, and he responds by shutting down with more negative self-talk: “I don’t have time to figure this out. I’m never going to get a good grade anyway. I can’t do this.” Student B is challenged throughout his day by his difficulty with sensing and anticipating the passage of time. Given the significant gap between his IQ and his achievement, some teachers might conclude that he “doesn’t care,” pointing to his misuse of time during his free block as a supporting example. But he does in fact care deeply about his grades and his teachers’ perceptions of him. He did not use his free block to get started on his homework for the straightforward reason that he could not see and feel the impact this time would have upon his future self. Similarly, he did not bring his vocab- ulary list home because he did not visualize in advance the materials that he would need to complete the assignment. He did not anticipate the future satisfaction he would experience when the assignment

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