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Showing posts from 2016

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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Remediating Dyslexia with Orton Gillingham Based Reading Games

Students with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities often learn differently and require an alternative approach to learning basic reading. In addition, most of these young learners are working full tilt while sitting in the classroom and by the time they get home and have to complete their homework, they are mentally spent. As a result, tagging on remedial reading lessons to a cup that is already overflowing can be enough to turn these kids off to learning altogether. How Can We Help These Students Learn the Core Skills Needed to be Successful Readers? First, employ an individualized approach as each student has unique challenges and gaps in knowledge. If you need to assess the areas that require remediation be sure to use an assessment tool such as the Good Sensory Learning Reading Assessment Second, the process needs to be fun and engaging. Many programs require students to slog through boring lessons, complicated rules, and bland workbook pages. Many o...
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Free Text to Speech on macOS Helps Reading and Writing.

Apple has offered free accessibility tools with their personal computing devices for some time, but with each new operating system upgrade comes improvements and changes. A few weeks ago, I did a blog and video on their Dictation accessibility tool, and this week I hope to educate you about the many benefits of their Speech accessibility tool. So, if you read better when you can hear written text and could benefit from editing your papers by listening to your compositions, you are in the right place. What is Speech? Speech is a text to speech technology on macOS that allows users to quickly transform written text into audible words. Simply highlight a word, sentence, paragraph or a whole article in a document, email or online website, and once you select the designated command keys, your Mac will read the selection aloud. To top it off, you can choose from more than 70 male or female voices across 42 languages.  How Can This Free Speech Accessibly Feature Be Enabled? ...
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How to Teach Spelling: A Focused Remedial Approach

The brain is an extremely complex infrastructure of neural highways and byways, and each student has their own unique pattern of established pathways as well as cognitive based strengths and weaknesses. As a result, defining the best remedial techniques for spelling requires a mindful approach that evaluates the cognitive based causes of the spelling difficulty and then tailors a specific remedial approach.  So How Can I Meet the Individual Needs of Each Student for Optimal Learning? There is a four step process to meeting the needs of your struggling spellers. 1) Rule out any vision or hearing problems by asking the family to pursue the needed testing. This is something that the child’s pediatrician can do. 2) Understand the core cognitive based weaknesses or difficulties that can cause spelling struggles. These include: Auditory processing Visual processing Memory Optilexia Sequential processing Passive learning Inattentive learning Stress 3) Know how to use...
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Good Sensory Learning Coupon: Sharing the Gratitude Holiday Promotion

Dear Friends: I wanted to do something special to thank you for your interest and patronage. On my educational publishing site, Good Sensory Learning , I offer mindful and multisensory educational materials for learning specialists, educational therapists, teachers, homeschoolers and more. In particular, you can find fun, educational lessons, assessments, and cognitive remedial tools to name a few. I also offer bundles for specific areas of difficulty such as dyslexia, executive functioning, attention, visualization and working memory. These bundles are already discounted. However, until December 25th 2016, I am offering an additional 20% off all these bundles. I have never offered a promotion like this, but I want to make my already affordable products even more accessible for those that need to watch their pennies. All you have to do is use the coupon code: gratitude during checkout. You can click on the button below to learn about all my bundles. Cheers, Dr. Erica...
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Learning Specialist Courses: Creating a Successful Learning Specialist Practice in 60 Days

Would you like to open your own tutoring or learning specialist practice? Do you want the FREEDOM and INDEPENDENCE to make a difference?  Do you know what it takes to CONNECT with and EMPOWER students?  Do you want to be a part of a MULTISENSORY, TAILORED and PERSONALIZED method that you can deliver in your own private practice while having access to a support community of likeminded professionals?  You Don’t Have to Do It Alone! Whether you would like to create a private practice from scratch, or you already have an established business, I would love to help you. You can now gain access to my secrets, expertise, methods, swipe notes and a support community of likeminded professionals as well as a growing selection of promotions from the best resources and companies. This and more is all available in my evergreen course Create a Successful Learning Specialist Course in 60 Days. If you Answered Yes to Any of the Questions Above, Watch this Video to...
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Dyslexia Screeners: What's the Best Option?

Finding the best dyslexia screener can be a vital step for schools as well as parents, but sifting through the many options can be time consuming and challenging. I began the rigorous process of evaluating 13 different options and found the experience both interesting and surprising. While some instruments offer Likert scale questionnaires, others assess a student's cognitive or achievement abilities. The two screeners (which will remain nameless) that I thought would likely be the best, were disappointingly inadequate. A table below illustrates a summary of my findings, and I will let you come to your own conclusions.  The Table (below) Compares the 13 Resources by a Number of Factors: Age: The age range of eligible participants. Cost: The cost of the assessment/screener. Administration Time: The time it takes to take the test. Test Type: The format of the test. Questionnaires: About half of the instruments were Likert scales that obtain participant's preferen...
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Order of Operations Mobile Teaches the Concept

Order of Operations is a difficult concept for young learners, and many teachers use strategies to help students learn the sequence of mathematical steps. The acronyms, such as "PEMDAS" or "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally," are common memory strategies that teachers use to help students remember the order of operations. However, this mnemonic suggests a specific sequence which can cause confusion. Mistakes may result if the student is unaware that multiplication and division as well as addition and subtraction is of equal ranking order. When one has operations of the same rank, the problem must be solved from left to right. For instance, 10 5 + 2 is not 10 - 7, but is actually 5 + 2, because one solves the problem from left to right. This can be a complicated concept for kids to understand when working with a linear strategy. This is why the My Pet PEMDAS mobile is a fun, memorable and multisensory activity that solves this problem once and for all. My Pet PEMD...
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How to Use Dictation on Mac and Benefits for Dyslexia

Apple has been offering free accessibility tools with their personal computing devices for some time, but with each new operating system upgrade comes improvements and changes. This blog focuses on the dictation tool, as it is real game changer for students with dyslexia and other types of learning disabilities. What is Dictation? Dictation is a tool that allows users to speak computer commands and also dictate text when creating documents, texts or emails. The computer “listens” to your words and follows your directives. Because the computer “hears” every utterance, it is important to speak clearly and mindfully so that your commands are not filled with ums and other unneeded articulations. How Can One Access Dictation? To begin the default is selecting the fn key twice (bottom left hand corner on most Mac keyboards), or you can enable the dictation keyword phrase and say “Computer, start dictating.” Here is how you can enable the keyword phrase. Choose Apple menu > Sys...
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Dyslexia: Rapid Automatic Naming and Multisensory Methods

I’m so pleased to announce my seventh Go Dyslexia video podcast: Rapid Automatic Naming and Multisensory Methods with Guest Dr. Michael Hart and Host Dr. Erica Warren. This blog shares my most recent video podcast, featuring dyslexia expert and advocate, Dr. Michael Hart. Dr. Hart is a child psychologist and dyslexia expert who offers 25 years of experience in parent and teacher training, educational technology, learning differences, and diagnostic assessments. He is the founder/owner of  www.doctormichaelhart.com  and is currently providing online webinars and courses that focus on dyslexia. This is the seventh of many free video podcasts for Go Dyslexia!  During the video podcast, Michael and I talk about rapid automatic naming (RAN) and its impact on dyslexia and more specifically reading. In addition, we discuss the importance of using the Orton-Gillingham approach, multisensory methods and paying attention to the individual needs of learners. What is ...
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Multisensory and Memorable Mathematics Strategies: Math Favorites Bundle

For some students, learning math concepts is challenging and accommodating the individual needs with the current classroom curriculum can be difficult. To make matters worse, by the time many of these students exhibit the required academic underachievement that qualifies them for the needed assistance, many have negative learning experiences associated with mathematics, they struggle with a poor academic self concept, and some are overwhelmed with feelings of helplessness. What are the Common Difficulties Associated with Math Skills? When a student has difficulty with mathematics, they may struggle with any or all of the following: Memory - remembering concepts learned over time. Sequencing - recalling the required steps to get to an answer. Quantitative Reasoning - understanding the logic behind math concepts. Spatial Skills - understand and remember object’s orientation in space. Visual Processing - making sense of information seen through the eyes. Mental Manipula...
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Dyslexia and Memory

This blog shares my most recent video podcast, featuring memory and language expert, Aaron Ralby. It is the sixth of many free video podcasts for Go Dyslexia! This was such an eye opening conversation for me, and I can’t wait to take  Aaron’s memory course  and integrate these methods into my own life and practice. During the video podcast, Aaron and I discussed memory strategies that can assist individuals with dyslexia learn and master math, reading, languages, word finding, spelling and more. It’s a fascinating discussion that will get you excited about the ways that cognition can be enhanced with strategies that work for individuals with dyslexia. Come learn about fun and memorable memory palaces and a new virtual reality program that can help individuals with dyslexia. What is  Linguisticator ? Linguisticator  is an online course platform that offers memory and language training. These courses provide systematic, step-by-step guidance on how to use spatia...
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What's the Difference Between Educational Psychology and Educational Therapy?

There seems to be a logical assumption that if you get a degree in educational psychology that this would enable you to be an educational therapist. As with many assumptions, this is partially true, but not fully accurate. What is Educational Psychology? Educational psychology is an established branch of psychology that can be traced back to the early 1900s, and many formal institutions of higher education offer advanced degrees in this field of study. educational psychologists study human learning and motivation, and they investigate the cognition of the brain influence of affect, goals, and interest on learning role of assessment in learning psychology of teaching effectiveness of instructional intervention relationship between cognition and technology social psychology of learning organizations methods for conducting educational research These programs offer instruction on how people use emotional, social, and cognitive processes to learn and retain knowledge. T...
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Do Learning Styles Exist?

I think everyone will agree that no two people have the same strengths and weaknesses. But because we cannot observe each student’s brain behavior, it’s easy to blindly assume that what helps us learn, will help others. In fact, you will often see teachers insist that their students study a certain way, because the teacher knows how much that methods helps themselves. So should teachers step out of their preferred ways of learning and accommodate the unique needs of their students? What are Learning Styles? Learning styles are an individual's unique approach to learning based on strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. Over the past decade there has been a debate about whether teachers should accommodate learning styles in the classroom. Some even purport that learning styles don’t exist altogether. I have been working with children and adults as an educational therapist for over twenty years, and I can assure you that everyone has their own unique ways of processing informati...
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