Good Sensory Learning Blog

Doing homework after a long day of school can be a real backbreaker for many young learners! Downtime is both limited and cherished, so making assignments enticing is key. So, what can we do to make the process less burdensome and possibly pleasing? Homework Don'ts: Never pair homework with a punishment. When this is done, students associate homework with unpleasantries, and it can have a negative impact on future assignments. Don't call home assignments, "homework." Who wants to take their work home? Besides, when it is called work, it becomes work. Personally, I like to call it, "home fun!" Homework...

Many young learners struggle with the sizing and formation of letters. In addition, writing across the paper in a straight line can be challenging. For these students, I like to offer a color-coded scaffolding approach that provides support and also brings the fun factor into the learning process. I call it, Color-coded Handwriting and it helps my students master this difficult, fine motor task. www.goodsensorylearning.com © 2014 What's the Process: I offer my students color-coded paper as well as color-coded letters. I tell my students that all the letters have to match up with the colors. I share with my...

Balls and balloons offer a cheap and fun way to complete your school year. What’s more integrating balls and balloons brings a tactile, playful, and kinesthetic modality into the classroom. Balls and balloons can be used to review the academic content, as well as mindfulness activities and keepsakes.  Below is featured a variety of entertaining, multisensory ideas. Reviewing Key Topics from the School Year These games can be played with an entire class in a large circle facing one another, or you can break the students into small groups or pairs. 1) Parts of Speech Game: Place the parts of...

Did you know that working memory is now suggested to be one of the best indicators of academic success? Working memory is a cognitive functioning that enables an individual to remember and use relevant information to complete an activity. Information enters the brain through the senses and our conscious awareness processes and makes sense of the information through thoughts, inner visualizations, and the inner voice. It also enables learners to hold multiple pieces of information in the mind and manipulate them. It is often described as a mental workspace that helps students stay focused, block distractions and stay abreast of their...

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...