A New Kind of Elementary Education

Two years ago, I left the relative security of a predictable yearly salary in a public school system to start my own school. I loved working with the kids and I was blessed to collaborate with many dedicated and talented professionals at our public elementary school in north Fort Worth. However, after years of trying to find solutions, my conscience would not allow me to go on working in a system where I saw so many kids struggle. I will not cast blame on any one person because most people working in this system care about kids and work very…

SOI and Employment Training

SOI has been used successfully in many employment training programs. Here in Canada, statistics in 2003 pointed to 41% low literacy rates (not much changed from 1994 and projected to continue well on into the future). Some years ago, a government initiative called Essentials Skills for Workplace Employability was implemented to address these literacy concerns. Key areas of development were identified. Many SOI practitioners saw how SOI was an outstanding fit as SOI provides a systematic approach to developing the underlying thinking skills necessary for the Essential Skills curriculum. Some British Columbia SOI practitioners applied for ES funding for employment…

The Problem with Low Evaluation and High Creativity

There was a recent request for a dialogue regarding a combination of SOI scores from the learning abilities assessment in the area of low evaluation (judgment) skills and high divergent (creative) ability. This is a worthy discussion and as was pointed out, “It is critical for parents and educators to know the consequences of low evaluation and high creativity skills.” For discussion purposes, it is important to bring convergent ability (problem-solving) into the mix. Low evaluation, higher problem-solving abilities, and creative thinking abilities can often lead an individual into making decisions too quickly before evaluating the outcome. All we have…

The Power of SOI Certified Learning

I first learned about SOI in 1988 when my son was floundering in third grade. After SOI testing at a center in Carrollton, he completed a few weeks of SOI summer camp and attended weekly sessions throughout his fourth grade year. Because of SOI, he became a successful honor student, finished college, found a career he loves, and does not live on my couch! In May 2002, I retired from public school teaching, but could only tolerate retirement for about four months. (How do you watch television without papers to grade?) I found a want-ad for a math coordinator at the same…

What Career is Right for You?

What did you want to be when you grew up? A firefighter? Doctor? Teacher? Football player? Veterinarian? Many of us knew what we wanted to be when we grew up. Some of us made that dream a reality, and some of us took a new path. Choosing a career for the first (or second or third) time can be a daunting task. There are so many choices. So many important decisions to make. SOI provides a unique opportunity for individuals to evaluate their career potential. The SOI test produces a profile of learning abilities in the areas of cognition, memory,…

Brian’s Story: Advantages of Certified Learning

I had been warned about Brian. “Low, low,” they said. “In fact, so low that he can’t tell the difference between a 4 and a 6! Good luck with this one. There’s only so much you can do. And frankly, you can’t save them all.” Thus began my first special education teaching assignment in public education. They were right. This amiable first grader was a challenge to teach. Print of any kind was a huge obstacle. In fact, he didn’t recognize his letters or his numbers. Since I was also trained as an art teacher and had subbed a lot…

Daughter’s Reading Disability Diagnosed with SOI

Did you know that SOI can identify and address a reading disability? My family traveled a very long road before finding out about SOI in 1982. As a nine year old in the fourth grade, our daughter had not yet learned to read. We had exhausted the medical community (we thought) and her school was perplexed and at times agitated with our daughter or with us. The SOI program gave us the solutions that resulted in her ultimate success in reading, in her education, and in finding her self-esteem and confidence. Her avid love of animals sustained her through those…

Missing Intellectual Abilities Identified in Failing Pilots

World War II. Pilots. Planes. Intellectual abilities. What do these things have to do with learning? You might be surprised! Check out this short video to find out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhDFnzXDIeY Did you find this information interesting? Click the like or share button found below to spread the word. We appreciate your support!

Eliminating the Gap in Elementary Education

“In my opinion, the Certified Learning program is fantastic at filling in the gaps that kids have. This is my 20th year as an educator, and I have seen nothing that does it better.” – Jennifer Maldonado, Lubbock-Cooper North Elementary Many students enter their first year of school unprepared to learn. They are unable to sit still. They struggle to understand what the teacher says. They are expected to keep up with everyone else in the classroom. It is a tough place to be sometimes. At SOI Systems, our goal is students’ success in elementary education. We want them to…

The Importance of Memory in Learning

The Structure of Intellect assesses many different learning abilities. A review of those abilities has been shared in the earlier posting on this blog. Because of the work I do in all levels of education (K – college), I am often asked what shows up as the lowest overall ability. Hands down, the answer is memory – visual and auditory memory. If we think of memory as “the developed art of paying attention,” then we begin to understand why this is a growing concern in education, especially in elementary school. We have much to distract us within this technology-driven society!…

A New Kind of Elementary Education

SOI and Employment Training

The Problem with Low Evaluation and High Creativity

The Power of SOI Certified Learning

What Career is Right for You?

Brian’s Story: Advantages of Certified Learning

Daughter’s Reading Disability Diagnosed with SOI

Missing Intellectual Abilities Identified in Failing Pilots

Eliminating the Gap in Elementary Education

The Importance of Memory in Learning

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