C. What the Teacher Should Do

Upload materials, readings, and slides early, in a consistent and predictable location — the same place, the same day each week if possible. 

Give advance notice of any change to plans, deadlines, or format; unpredictability is a significant source of both anxiety and executive-function overload. 

Break larger assignments into staged submissions with interim checkpoints, rather than a single distant deadline. 

Prepare a concrete example of what a strong answer looks like, not just a description of the criteria. 

Consider seating and room layout in advance if you know a student benefits from reduced visual distraction or proximity to the front. 

Give instructions in both written and verbal form; show a concrete example of what a good answer looks like rather than relying on implicit expectations. 

Break longer explanations into clearly signposted steps — 'first... next... finally' — rather than one continuous stream of information. 

Repeat and visually highlight key information rather than stating it once and moving on. 

Allow movement or a short break in longer sessions; extended stillness and passive listening are genuinely difficult to sustain. 

Use active, hands-on learning where the format allows it — long periods of passive listening are consistently identified as one of the least effective formats. 

Avoid unexpectedly calling on a student to answer without warning, since this adds a layer of performance pressure on top of the cognitive task itself. 

Share notes, recordings, or a written summary of key points, so a lapse in concentration during the live session does not mean losing the content entirely. 

Check whether agreed adjustments (extra time, staged deadlines) were actually implemented, not only agreed on paper. 

Reflect briefly on which parts of the session had the least structure, and adjust before the next one — this is a habit that improves the session for every student, not only those with ADHD. 

Where a student has struggled with a specific task, offer feedback that separates what they understood from how they organised or delivered it — the two are often confused in written feedback.