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Showing posts from November, 2015

100 Powerful Learning Specialist and Educational Therapy Materials

This week I wanted to tell you about my online store, Good Sensory Learning. I’m Dr. Erica Warren, and I established this site so I could share all the materials that I have created over the last 20+ years as a learning specialist and educational therapist. When I first began my private practice, Learning to Learn, I had great difficulty finding fun and multisensory materials for my students that were effective and engaging. So back in 2005, I made it my mission to design and distribute high-end, remedial products as well as memorable, motivating lessons that bring delight to learning. If you would like to try a free sampling of my activities , CLICK HERE . How Are the Products Organized at Good Sensory Learning? You can download my Free Printable Catalog or you can browse the site using the grey “search all products” bar in the top right of any page with keywords such as dyslexia, working memory, and executive functioning. What’s more, drop down menus in the red banner allow you t

Light emitted by Technology Disrupts Sleep: Strategies for Students

Many students struggle to fall asleep at night, even though they are terribly tired during the day. Why is this becoming a common occurrence? Daily, the average student spends nine hours using technology for enjoyment and school, and many of these hours are after the sun sets. Although sunlight dims to relative darkness, children's exposure to light remains when they are planted in front of televisions, phones, computers, and other handheld, computing devices. What we are now learning is that this extended exposure to light is having detrimental effects on the natural circadian rhythms that have been established across time.  What are Circadian Rhythms? Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle of light and dark in an organism's natural environment. The study of circadian rhythms is called chronobiology. Are Circadian Rhythms Important? Circadian rhythms are key in determining the sleep patterns of humans. Our body'

Solving Spelling Problems with Digital Assistants and Voice Search Technology

Challenges with spelling disrupt the flow of thoughts, distract the writer and often result in poor word choice. Even though the author may have an excellent speaking vocabulary, their writing may suffer due to avoidance of words that are difficult to spell. What's more, many poor spellers skirt writing altogether because navigating spelling potholes can be time-consuming, and they fear that others will question their intellect. What Can Be Done to Help Poor Spellers? The technology age offers a number excellent tools for struggling spellers. Speech-to-Text Software: Speech-to-text is a type of software that transcribes the spoken word into typed words on a computer or handheld device. Writers no longer have to be distracted by spelling. As long as they enunciate their words clearly, all spelling will be accommodated via voice commands. Macs come with this option for free. To learn more CLICK HERE . In addition, there are many other speech-to-text options like Speec

What is Brain Training or Brain Fitness and is it Helpful?

I am a learning specialist and educational therapist. However, I tell many of my clientele that I’m a personal trainer for the brain. I help individuals of all ages to improve overall cognition, develop compensatory learning strategies and master optimal study skills. I have seen, first hand the power of brain training. What is Brain Training? Brain Training, Brain Fitness, or Cognitive Remediation is the act of strengthening deficits in learning or weak areas of cognition. This is typically done using activities that concentrate on specific areas of difficulty. Just like a personal trainer or physical therapist can focus exercises on a particular part of the body, many learning specialists, educational therapists and learning coaches can help individuals of all ages to improve memory, visual processing, auditory processing, attention, executive functioning, stamina and more. The Brain is Not Limited and Defined: The brain is not inflexible and fixed. Instead, it continues

Learn about Strengthening Working Memory with Free Sample Activities

Working memory is a fundamental cognitive processing activity required for learning. It is the part of the brain that is responsible for the transient holding and processing of new and stored information.  What Does Working Memory Do?   Working memory is key for: Executive functioning skills Reasoning Comprehension and learning Updating of memory How Can this Skill Be Strengthened? Here are some sample activities that can help educational therapists, learning specialists, tutors, parents and more help to develop this skill in struggling learners. CLICK HERE for your free download. Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at  Good Sensory Learning  and  Dyslexia Materials . She is also the director of  Learning to Learn  and  Learning Specialist Courses . · Blog:  https://learningspecialistmaterials.blogspot.com/ · YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1 ·