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Showing posts from August, 2013

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
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DIY 5 Paragraph Essay Templates: A Creative, Metacognitive Tool

Although there is a common formula to writing a five-paragraph essay, students soon learn that each teacher has their own unique preferences. I can remember a teacher that didn’t allow students to use the transition, “on the other hand,” unless they had already used, “on the one hand.” Some insist on transitional sentences, others do not. Some want a student’s thesis statement in the middle of the introduction, while others want it at the beginning or even at the end. As a result, students have to adjust their writing to accommodate each new teacher. How can this be done? Help Your Students by Reviewing Your Expectations: At the beginning of the school year, it is important for each teacher to share his or her expectations, preferences and requirements so that each student can prepare for success from the very beginning. Provide a lesson and a handout that reviews the 5 paragraph essay. Make sure to discuss everything you want in your introduction, body paragraphs, and con
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Dyslexic Advantage Webinar on Multisensory Teaching for Students with Dyslexia

Dear Friends: I wanted to share a link to a free webinar on Multisensory Teaching. The hosts, Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide, the authors of The Dyslexic Advantage and The Mislabeled Child, are international experts on dyslexia and learning differences and they interviewed me as a guest speaker. This online event took place this August and you can view a youtube version of the webinar at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVXwqyxTbPs 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 · Podcast:  https://godyslexia.com/ · Store:  http://www.Goodsensorylearning.com/  &  www.dyslexiamaterials.com · Courses:  http://www.learningspecial
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Back to School Tools and Methods for Kinesthetic Learners

Some students can sit quietly at their desks while others seem to struggle to stay in their seats. This later group of learners may annoy the teacher or their peers by tapping their pencil, jogging their leg, fidgeting, leaning back in their chairs and asking for repeated bathroom and water breaks. Many of these students are kinesthetic learners and having to sit still and listen to a lesson is an uncomfortable battle that feels like trying to tie your shoes while in a straight jacket. What are Some Products that can Help Kinesthetic Learners at their Desks? Multi Sensory Brain Break Meditations Inflatable discs and wedges can offer your kinesthetic learners some movement while staying seated. These products can be placed on any seat and they allow students to move their hips and develop core muscles (see below for product link). Safeco, a furniture company, just came out with the Zenergy Ball Chair for older students and the Runtz for younger students. Both of these pro
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Early Detection of Dyslexia

Early intervention is key as it can remediate and work around upcoming academic difficulties. This is a very important approach for students with dyslexia. Recent reports suggest that dyslexia impacts 5-10 percent of the population. Now wouldn't it be wonderful if this condition could be detected before children learned to read? Weaknesses could be strengthened and appropriate teaching methodologies could be selected, making the process of reading successful the first time. This could save the educational system a fortune and these young learners could sail through elementary school with an intact self-esteem. MIT News Reported, on August 14th, 2013 that research suggests that brain scans may help to diagnose dyslexia. Differences in the size of the arcuate fasciculus, the brain structure that unites two language processing areas, is now detectable. To learn more about this and their continued efforts, CLICK HERE . If you are looking for remedial materials and solutions fo
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Mathemagic: Multisensory and Mindful Math Strategies Tailored for the Individual

Many students struggle with the steps required to complete mathematical problems. They may forget the concept, miss a step, mis-sequence the steps, misread a sign, or struggle with writing out or lining up the numbers. In fact, even if a student has understood and executed a problem with precision, it doesn’t mean that they will retain that information at a later time. So what can we do to help these students to encode, into long-term memory, the steps required to complete math computations? The 3 Key Components for Effective Math Instruction Click on the image to learn more Go multisensory: Integrate as many of the 12 Ways of processing as you can into your instructional plan: Visual, Auditory, Tactile, Kinesthetic, Sequential, Simultaneous, Reflective, Verbal, Interactive, Indirect Experience, Direct Experience, and Rythmic Melodic. To learn more about this click here Teach metacognitive and mindful strategies: Metacognition refers to the act of thinking about thinkin
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Back to School: Planning, Time Management and Organization Instruction

Many teachers can not fathom how apparently simple tasks such as using an agenda or turning in an assignment can be very difficult for some of their students. In fact, many students need comprehensive instruction and scaffolding to learn to plan, manage time, and organize. Executive functioning, which encompasses these skills is the last part of the brain to fully develop, and in actuality, does not reach maturation until students reach their early 20's. How Hard Can it Really Be to Plan, Manage Time and Organize? I have to admit, when I first started working with students that struggled with executive functioning, I was surprised how challenging planning, time management, and organization could be for some of my young, bright learners. What seemed to be clear and obvious was obscure, taxing and problematic for them. These Students are Often Misunderstood: Instead of compassion and strategies, students that have difficulties with executive functioning are often intimidat
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