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Showing posts from July, 2014

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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Audiobooks Can Improve Word Recognition, Pronunciation and Visualization Abilities

Did you know that audiobooks or books on tape can improve word recognition, the proper pronunciation of words and also develop visualization abilities?  Passive learners may not obtain these perks, but with guided instruction on active and mindful reading, these benefits can be easily attainable. How Can Students Reap The Benefits of Audiobooks? For young learners to get the most out of audiobooks, they must learn to be active participants in the reading process.  They can take one of two roles. 1) Students should follow along with the text as they listen to the book: If students read the text while listening to the book, they can begin to recognize whole words.  Instead of decoding or sounding out the words, the audiobook does this for them, and they can just focus on tracking the words across the page.   An added plus to scanning the text while listening is students will quickly learn the proper pronunciations of sight words and other tricky words such as "chao
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The Best Reading Remediation: Tackling the 3 Core Cognitive Skills

There are a plethora of reading programs that walk students through the rules, patterns and irregularities of our complicated English language, however, many students need to begin their remedial instruction by strengthening the core and foundational cognitive skills required to be a competent reader. Wh at Are the Core Cognitive Skills Required for Reading? There are three main cognitive skills that students must strengthen to prepare them to read. Although there are other cognitive processing areas that the brain uses to read, such as executive functioning, spatial skills, and processing speed, here is a list and discussion of the primary ones: 1) Visual Processing : the ability to scan and make sense of visual information and symbols. Within the realm of visual processing are the following: Visual Sequencing : the ability to process visual information in a series or sequence.   Example: Accurately processing and comprehending a sequence of letters.  For exercises that st
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Mastering Tricky Wording: Free Follow Directions Summer Fun Activities

It's easy to forget how challenging it can be for children to learn the complexities of the English language. Following a parents' directives, interpreting the needed steps to complete a homework assignment, understanding multiple choice test questions, and discerning a teacher's instructions are just a few examples of how young learners need to be able to understand and navigate the subtleties of linguistic cues. For many children, learning to follow directions is a complex task that requires instruction, and the mastery of this skill involves vocabulary development, mental flexibility, attention to details, listening skills, receptive language skills, and verbal reasoning. What Happens When Kids Have Trouble Following Directions? When kids have trouble following directions, they often encounter the annoyance and frustration of others. In fact, a true misunderstanding can even result in ridicule and punishments that can leave the child confused and dejected. How
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10 Ways to Motivate and Empower Struggling Readers

Making the reading process fun over the summer months can transform an apparent chore into an enjoyable activity that young learners can relish.  One can make the reading process pleasurable by integrating engaging activities, creating a fun reading environment, teaching kids how to visualize, pairing the activities with pleasantries, sharing the process with them and integrating technology such as books on tape. What Are Some Specific Strategies? Be positive and excited about your own reading time.  If kids see that you love it, they will want to do it too. Help your children learn to visualize or imagine pictures when reading or listening to text. While reading together, talk about your own visuals and ask them about theirs.  Creating a movie in your head improves reading comprehension, attention and will help kids picture the characters and settings. Create an exciting and comfortable niche for your children to read.  With your child or children collect pillows, bl
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