Skip to main content

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
Post a Comment

12 Strategies for Overcoming Test Anxiety

With finals around the corner, many students are becoming anxious about end of the year exams. Although a small dose of the jitters can provide some motivation, larger degrees of anxiety can virtually cripple many young learners. 
Test anxiety and students
What is Test Anxiety?
Test anxiety is a product of fear or worry about a test or quiz.  In fact, a student that struggles with test anxiety may know the material, but he or she can not access the information during the examination due to this enfeebling mental state.  

What are the Causes of Test Anxiety?
Test anxiety can manifest from a number of root causes?
  • Questioning ones own abilities can create the fear that you will do poorly or even fail a test.
  • Distractions by other students, noise, or even one's own internal thoughts can make it difficult to concentrate.
  • Physical symptoms can also hinder students.  Short breaths, fast heart rates, nausea, headaches, and body sweats can make it difficult to recall answers.
  • Mental blocks can also make it difficult to recall learned information from one's memory.
How Can You Beat Test Anxiety?
Here are a few strategies that can help:
  1. Create a distraction-free study environment.  If students prepare for tests with full concentration, they will learn the material quicker and better.
  2. Be sure to have students review all class materials.  This includes class work, homework, notes, prior tests, and projects.
  3. Create study materials and encourage students to show their approach to their teacher to assure that all the content is addressed.
  4. Form a study schedule so that students can prepare for tests over time.
  5. Encourage your students to get a good nights sleep before the test.
  6. Ask your students to consume a nutritious meal before the test and avoid sugary and starchy foods. Sugar and starch require a lot of energy to digest and can make it difficult to concentrate.  In contrast, foods like meats, eggs, nuts, and vegetables can help to energize the brain. 
  7. Help your students make a conscious effort to take deep breaths and relax any tense muscles while taking a test. 
  8. Teach good test-taking strategies to your students such as: doing the easiest questions to enhance confidence, answering every question - even if you are not sure of the answer, using all the time allotted, and eliminating answers that are definitely wrong.  To learn more strategies, CLICK HERE. 
  9. When taking the test, encourage your students to ask for clarification when needed.  Although teachers will not provide answers, they can often clarify confusing words or questions that can help lead students to the correct answer.
  10. Instruct your students about memory strategies such as mnemonics and hooking to aid recall during the test.  If you would like to learn more about memory strategies, CLICK HERE. 
  11. Consider teaching your students the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).  This method unites acupressure and dialogue to relax the mind and body.  It also helps to relieve any lingering energy blockages due to past trauma or struggles.
  12. Consider doing a mindful meditation with your students before the test to help calm the mind, relax the body and enhance confidence.  This strategy will help students become aware of their anxiety, observe the way they are feeling and then choose to let it go. 
I hope you found these strategies helpful.  If you have any other ideas, please share them by commenting below this blog.

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.learningspecialistcourses.com/
· Newsletter Sign-up: https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/69400
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

88 Assistive Technology Tools for Struggling Learners

Making sense of the complex weave of assistive technology devices and applications for struggling learners can be a confusing and frustrating chore. This blog talks about 15 different types of assistive technology that can benefit struggling learners with links to my favorite tools. For a more comprehensive discussion of these technologies  CLICK HERE Comprehensive Technologies: Don Johnston Inc. - $. Kurzweil 3000 - $   TextHelp - $ ClaroRead - $ Planning, Time Management, and Organization: iStudies Pro - Free/$ - Remember the Milk - Free - RescueTime - $ Strict Workflow  - Free - Wunderlist - Free - Text to Speech: AnyBook Personal Reader - $ Audible.com - $ IntoWords - $ NaturalReaders - Free/$ Project Gutenberg & Librivox - Free Raz-Kids - $ Read & Write for Google Chrome - Free/$ Read OutLoud - $ Snap&Read Universal - $ Voice Dream Reader - Free/$ Voice Typing - Free Speech to Text: Co-writer Un
Post a Comment
Read more

10 Free Ways to Improving Visual Tracking for Weak Readers

While reading, tracking across the page from one line to the next can be tricky when the text is small, but for students with dyslexia or weak reading skills, it can be a problem regardless of the font size.  So why is this the case?  Perhaps one of the problems is poor tracking skills. What Exactly is Tracking? Tracking is the ability for one's eyes to move smoothly across the page from one line of text to another. Tracking difficulties happen when eyes jump backward and forward and struggle to stay on a single line of text.  This results in problems such as word omissions, reversals, eye fatigue, losing your place while reading and most importantly it can impact normal reading development.   Can Tracking be Improved? Tracking can be improved by strengthening eye muscles as well as getting your eyes and brain to work cooperatively.  There are three eye movements that need to be developed:   Fixations: The ability to hold one's eyes steady without moving
Post a Comment
Read more

Do I have dyslexia - Explaining Symptoms and Myths for Kids

What do you do when you learn that your child has dyslexia? Should you hide this diagnosis to protect them from labels and misunderstandings, or should you tell them? If you do decide to tell them, how do you do this? Can you help them to overcome any potential fears or misunderstandings? These are the questions that I will answer in this blog that includes kid-friendly graphics. What are the Benefits of Telling Your Child That He or She Has Dyslexia? Educating your child with dyslexia about the common signs and misconceptions can help them to: understand that they learn in a different way than other kids that don’t have dyslexia.  shed negative labels such as stupid, careless, unmotivated and lazy. correct any misunderstandings. identify with other successful people that have or had dyslexia. acquire the needed intervention and instruction in school. learn that many people with dyslexia have strengths that others do not have. Individuals with dyslexia are often: great
Post a Comment
Read more