Good Sensory Learning Blog

Most students have had the experience of knowing an answer, but they are unable to access the information in a stressful moment. This is a common difficulty when students are taking a test, as anxiety can block recall. In fact, one may be able to recall the first letter of a name they are trying to conjure from memory but fail to retrieve the whole word. In addition, they may be able to describe the word or concept but only call to mind similar words or concepts. Organizing Information Before Encoding New Information The brain is much like a filing...

Figuring out how to manage long-term projects and assignments can be a challenge without a sequenced and structured approach, and teaching students how to manage these skills is a key element in the learning process. Planning and time management involve executive functioning, a portion of the brain that continues to develop until around 20 years of age. As a result, when teachers assign long-term assignments or projects, it is important for them to also instruct students on how to plot a strategy and break the task into manageable chunks. Planning the Overall Approach: 1. Set and Example: Demonstrate how you...

Using multisensory instruction always makes a lesson more engaging and fun for students. In fact, one of my favorite learning modalities to integrate into instruction is kinesthetics or movement. For many learners having to sit still is not conducive for learning, and other children just need to get their bodies moving and their blood circulating from time to time to fully focus on a lesson. One of my favorite topics to teach are the different type of angles and lines. I like to cover these concepts with a multisensory and interactive PowerPoint that I created, then I get the students...

When you have as much material and resources as I have collected over the past 20 years acting as a learning specialist, it can be easy to overlook some great options or even have trouble finding the needed materials. A number of years ago, I decided to tackle this problem head on. Strategies for Clearing Your Clutter and Organizing Your Materials Clearing your clutter and organizing your materials can be a great way to make your home and practice manageable, comfortable, and efficient. What’s more, it makes your space look more attractive and you won’t waste time locating the needed...

Many young learners struggle with basic reading and math because the cognitive skills required to do these tasks are weak. Therefore, these children need to strengthen these processing areas before they attempt to learn how to decode words and execute basic computations. What are the Core Areas of Cognition Required for Basic Reading and Math? Sequential processing and memory: The ability to scan, make sense of, and remember information in a sequence or series. Auditory processing and memory: The ability to listen, make sense of, and remember information that is heard. Visual processing and memory: The ability to scan, make...