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

If I Opt Out of the SATs or ACTs What Are My College Options?

College entrance exams are a multimillion dollar industry that feeds the pockets of the companies that make them, as well as the tutors that help to prepare struggling students.  Recalling my own experience with college entrance exams like the SAT over 30 years ago, I would have never believed that they would still exist.  As we all know, powerful corporations tend to maintain their stronghold well after the downsides of their products are exposed.
Should I opt out of college entrance exams?
What Are the Problems Associated with the SAT and the ACT?
  1. Reports suggest that college entrance exams are biased towards both gender and race. Studies have revealed females score higher in high school and college classes; however, males score better than females on the college entrance exams. In one study from the Education Testing Service, researchers suggest that boys typically score about 33 points higher on the SAT math section than female students, even though both genders received the same grades in the same college math classes. In addition, a new study in 2018 reports that tests can be an obstacle not just for students who don't test well but also for students from under-served and under-represented populations.
  2. Research suggests that the SAT and ACT tests do not always predict an applicant’s grades in college. Wasn't that the whole purpose of the assessments?  For example, a study on the ACT by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that the reading and science portions do not accurately predict a student’s outcome in college. 
  3. Students report them to be long and stressful. Bright students that have slow processing speeds may not show their true abilities, because they will not have time to complete the test.  In addition, when students experience clinical levels of anxiety over these tests, their scores are often deflated because extreme stress has a negative impact on cognitive performance.
What Are SAT and ACT Optional Colleges?
I'm happy to tell you that every year more and more colleges are not requiring college entrance exams in their applications.  Some colleges, like Hampshire College, will not accept these test scores.  Other colleges offer a test-optional admissions policy, which means that applicants can choose not to submit SAT or ACT scores. Application requirements vary from college to college, and you can usually find the information on each college's website.  There are a number of sites that offer a list of test-optional colleges.  One might think that these colleges are not as good, but I think you will be surprised!   CLICK HERE to see a 2018 list.

 What Can I Do to Help My Students Who Opt Out of These Tests Get Into a Great College?
  1. Help them to improve their GPA.  Encourage them to get in all assignments, prepare for all tests, and talk to their teachers about any extra work they can do to improve their grades.
  2. Encourage rich involvement in extracurricular activities and community outreach.  Many colleges like to see that their applicants are "well rounded" and actively involved in helping others. 
  3. Help them to write an outstanding college essay.  Writing a well-written and memorable college essay can make a student stand out from other applicants.  Come read my blog on the 11 steps to writing an outstanding college essay.  You can learn more about my College Essay Workshop Materials. 
  4. Encourage a student who is applying to a fine arts college or art program to develop a portfolio of their work.
  5. Visit colleges.  Take campus tours, but also connect with admissions personnel.  If you can't visit the campus, then be sure to attend local college fairs, to write to the admissions office, and to sign up for college Facebook pages or other social media sites. 
  6. Go above and beyond.  Do all optional essays, elaborate on all extracurricular activities, and develop a rapport with one or two admissions personnel.
I hope you found this helpful!  If you have any questions, be sure to leave them below this post.  I'm always happy to help.

 Cheers, Erica
Dr. Erica Warren, Learning Specialist & Educational Therapist

Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning. 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