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Showing posts with the label Teaching Advice

How Can Teachers Trigger Dopamine and Improve Learning?

Wouldn't it be great if a teacher's actions triggered neurotransmitters in the brains of their students that improved attention, motivation, and learning at large? Many would say that this idea sounds like a science fiction novel, but, in fact, it's not far from the truth. What Role do Neurotransmitters Have in the Learning Process? Countless chemical messengers called neurotransmitters are perpetually maintaining our brain's functions and regulating our breath and heartbeat. They even manage our attention and ability to learn. In addition, they also impact a wide variety of emotions including fear, happiness, and boredom. One neurotransmitter, in particular, offers a secret advantage to learning - dopamine. What is Dopamine and How Does it Impact Schooling? Dopamine, commonly referred to as the "feel-good brain chemical" is made by our brains. Dopamine plays a role in feeling satisfaction and joy, and it is vital to our ability to plan and think. Here ...

How to Quickly and Easily Write Neatly with Zoom Annotations

When working with students online using Zoom, it can be frustrating and messy when trying to write out lessons with your mouse. Although Zoom does offer a great typing tool, when doing math problems or drawing an image or diagram that requires a less linear approach there are better options out there. How Can You Use an iPad During Zoom? A great way to write and draw neatly on a Zoom session is to link your iPad to the Zoom session and share the screen. You can do this through airplay or by using a cable. Simply: First, select the green button at the bottom of the screen that says share screen Second, select either: iPhone/iPad via AirPlay OR iPhone/iPad via a USB to lightning cable. * I find the use of a cable to be a more reliable option. Third, allow screen sharing on your device by selecting: "Trust this computer" on your device. If it doesn't work, make sure both your iPad and Computer are updated to the latest versions and restart the devices. Fourth, you should ...

Important Dyslexia Accommodations in the Classroom

Getting a school to recognize, test, and then accommodate your child with dyslexia can be an arduous and frustrating task. Although public school systems can accommodate the individual needs of our struggling students, many administrators don’t like to tap into the general education coffers for a single student. As a result, parents often have to rally and wrestle to obtain reasonable accommodations for their children with dyslexia and other disabilities that impact learning. The key to navigating this slippery slope is to understand the laws, the lingo as well as the menus of mandated accommodations and modifications. What are my Options? There are two options for acquiring accommodations: 504: A 504 is a formal plan that protects the rights of students with disabilities in school. Covered under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, this civil rights law gives students with disabilities access to services and supports in the general education classroom. There are no mandated...

Managing Stress and Anxiety in the Classroom Improves Grades

Over the last 20 years as a learning specialist and educational therapist, I have witnessed increasing numbers of students in all age groups struggling with stress and anxiety. What was once a rare referral has become a common complaint that undermines confidence, riddles the mind, and sabotages study skills. What is the Culprit Thats Causing Concern and Consternation? There are a number of factors that have led to the rise in classroom angst. Stress is Passed from Teachers to Students: It’s not uncommon for me to hear from my students that, if they don’t do well on their test, their teachers may get in trouble. With teachers being held responsible for classroom grades on standardized tests, many are passing on their own worries to their learners. Standardized Assessments are more Prevalent for Students of All Ages: Due to government and state officials seeking accountability for other countries/states boasting better student outcomes, state tests have been the pri...

Processing Speed - 7 Powerful Strategies for Student Success

Dear Friends: This is my second post on processing speed. Last week, I addressed the definition, causes, assessment options, and revealed 5 ways that a slow processing speed can impact learning . This week, I will discuss 7 power strategies for student success as well as reasonable accommodations in the classroom. A Quick Review: Processing Speed: The speed at which one makes sense of incoming information from the senses and then generates a response. Tests such as the WISC intelligence test and the Woodcock-Johnson IV Test of Cognitive Ability and Test of Oral Language offer subtests that assess some types of processing speed. A slow processing speed can be caused by any of the following: difficulties receiving and perceiving information through the senses, problems making sense of that information in the brain, and/or challenges producing a response or action. A slow processing speed can impact the understanding of oral and written concepts, note taking skills, homework c...

Factoring and Multiples - Fun and Memorable Lessons and Activities

Creating magical activities for struggling math students is one of my favorite things to do. Teaching fun memory strategies, hooking techniques, color coded steps, drawing strategies, and color implementation can be the secret weapon to igniting joy in the learning process. Over the years, I have found that many of my students have trouble with factoring and multiples. As a result, I have created a new publication to make the learning process both enjoyable and memorable for both the teachers and the students. Now, teachers have all the tools that they need to teach these concepts in a multisensory and effective way. Students can learn the concept once and continue to remember the process over time. What’s My Method? All of the following strategies are integrated into my publication Mathemagic Magical Math Instruction: Factoring and Multiples . M emory Strategies: Implementing memory strategies helps students encode the new material. Hooking Techniques: Presenting hookin...

16 Ways to Make Lessons Memorable and So Much Fun

Making lessons both memorable and fun brings magic into any classroom. Instead of looking to a room of passive, bored faces, you can transform your learners into active, engaged participants. I work with students one-on-one, and this is what makes my practice a success. I often tell my students, if you don’t love coming to our sessions, I’m not doing my job. 16 Strategies that Can Transform Your Classroom or One-to-One Sessions: Don't call home assignments, homework, but come up with a name that is more appealing and motivating such as home fun. Also, when introducing a new lesson or assignment, think like you are selling a product, and be sure to create fun and enticing names. For instance, I do not teach script or cursive, I teach roller-coaster letters! Furthermore, generate excitement for upcoming topics by showing your own enthusiasm. Bring the arts, music, and games into assignments. Many students enjoy fine arts, acting, music, and making as well as playing game...

Self Advocacy - 5 Reasons this Skill Should be Taught

Self advocacy is one of the most important skills struggling students can learn. Whether it is communicating with a teacher about a best learning approach, a needed testing modification, or a classroom accommodation, self advocacy can assure that students get what they need to learn. What is Student Self-Advocacy? Student self-advocacy is when a learner communicates what he or she needs to a teacher or administrator in an academic environment. This skill should be taught in middle school so that students are knowledgeable about the process and procedures by high school. Although it sounds easy, it’s actually quite complex, because students must be savvy about: Individual needs: Students should have a comprehensive understanding of their strengths, weaknesses as well as their accommodations, so that they can monitor services and manage their own needs. Mandated rights: Students should know about the laws that protect students with disabilities, so they can evaluate whether th...

10 Successful Strategies for Tactile Learners

Can you imagine what it would be like to navigate our surroundings without a sense of touch? It would probably be challenging to simply get from place to place, let alone learn anything! For many learners, a hands-on approach greatly enhances the learning process, and we as teachers need to know how to accommodate these students. Virtually everyone learns through the sense of touch, but there is a vast continuum with some learners reporting the tactile modality to be somewhat distracting while others find that it serves a vital role. In fact, over the past 20 years as a learning specialist and educational therapist, I have found that there are three distinct types of tactile learning that should be considered. Feeling objects in the environment: Some students learn best when touching or manipulating objects. Using an abacus for math calculations, interacting with a historical diorama, or even sorting sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks, for example, can assist with t...

Soothe Your Students and Increase Homework Productivity

When students are spent and stressed from a long day at school, it can be a chore to get them to complete their homework. So how can one entice these passive, unmotivated learners to pick up the pencil and mindfully coast through their assignments? Working as a learning specialist and educational therapist, I meet with most of my students for a single hour each week. Therefore, it is imperative that I use every minute of my session wisely. It took me some time to realize that, for some students, it is a fruitless and frustrating chore to push them to plow through assignments. For these students, I need to commence at a slow pace and pause for 5 to 10 minutes, before they are encouraged to plunge into the pool of school work. What Gets in the Way? There are a number of hurdles that can topple a student session. Low stamina: Many students are cognitively spent after a day of school. Poor motivation: Some students have little to no interest in completing homework. Attention ...

The Magic of Humor - Bring the Silly into Student Sessions

Reflecting on my best sessions over the past 18 years as a learning specialist, the one common factor was a silly and playful connection. Humor can be a magical tool that can cut through overwhelm, frustration and even feelings of helplessness, thus infusing lessons in light-hearted relief and gaiety. Tears from failure can turn into belly aching laughter, if you can bring wit and whimsy to the table How Can Humor Help? Research shows that humor reduces stress and correlates with improved health, resilience, increased life expectancy, and overall well being. In fact, a number of studies suggest that laughter stimulates the immune system and alleviates the negative effects of stress hormones. Your Choice of Words Can Impact Your Students Attitude Pick Playful Lesson Titles: When designing your lessons it is important to bring fun and giggles into the lesson title. For example, instead of telling your students that they will be working on script or cursive lettering, increase...

Focusing on the Negative - How Schooling Conditions an Abusive Inner Voice

The current approach in many schools is to focus on the negative. When something goes wrong, such as missing assignments, incorrect answers, or avoidant behaviors, students are often punished with detentions, criticism, demerits and poor marks. In fact, it is difficult to see where we teach students how to build positive character strengths such as resilience, grit, confidence, self-control, curiosity and social intelligence. This overarching focus on the negative can take a toll on student motivation and many learners are also harassed with a negative inner voice that constantly undermines stamina as well as the learning process. What Have I Been Witnessing in my Practice? Over the past 15 years in my private practice as a learning specialist, I have witnessed an increase of depression, anxiety, and learned helplessness in my students. Many of these discouraged learners have identified with and integrated negative labels to describe themselves such as “careless,” “lazy,” “...

Learning Specialist and Teacher Materials - Good Sensory Learning

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