learning skills, soi-ipp

How SOI Helps Non-Readers

soisystems

“Dyslexia” is not synonymous with “non-reader” — and it is misleading to use the two as interchangeable.  There maybe many reasons for an inability to read, and dyslexia is only one of them. Applying “dyslexia” too loosely is more than semantic misuse; it may actually preempt interventions that are more appropriate and less expensive.

What are the intervention therapies for a non-reader?

INTERVENTIONS BEYOND STANDARD INSTRUCTION

If students are beyond the third grade and have still not learned to read, we must assume that they have already encountered all of the standard reading instruction — whether it is phonics, whole word, language experience, or any other method — so, we can reasonably assume that more of the same will not be an answer.

CONVINCING STUDENTS THEY CAN READ

For non-readers beyond the third grade, there is an additional problem — they first need to be convinced that they can read.  They have confronted the non-reader label over and over again, so they begin to identify as a non-reader, and they become less motivated to keep Continue reading “How SOI Helps Non-Readers” →

certified learning

2017 – 2018 Certified Learning Report

soisystems

INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION AND SOI CERTIFIED LEARNING

Individual Instruction — personified by the image of a tutor working one-on-one with a student — is the gold standard in education. Tutoring is superior instruction because it allows students to work at their own pace while the tutor is constantly monitoring progress and is available whenever a student needs help or guidance.

This type of teaching is especially important in the formative years (kindergarten to grade three) when children first encounter the world of formal education, and are most susceptible to learning difficulties. Early failures, if unobserved or otherwise unaddressed, become fissures in the students’ foundations for learning. They are very difficult to repair and almost always compromise further educational development.

Unfortunately, individual instruction is not the Continue reading “2017 – 2018 Certified Learning Report” →

SOI News, training

New Product Launch: SOI Memory Handbook

soisystems

M = My   

E = Everyday   

M = Memory  

O = Often   

R =  Refuses to   

Y = Yield Information

Does this definition of MEMORY sound familiar?  Do you forget why you walked into a room? Where you left your car keys? A neighbor or friend’s name?

Memory is a major concern for many people. It doesn’t matter if you are 8 or 80; we all need memory training to keep our brain sharp.  Visual and auditory memory is the backbone of school and career advancement. Dr. Mary Meeker recognized this deficiency back in 1977 when she designed and published the Memory Handbooks I & II.

Today we have incorporated those two brain training exercise books into one: the SOI Memory Handbook. It works to improve all areas of memory, including: figural, spatial, place, symbolic, and verbal. Using this handbook will increase your ability to Continue reading “New Product Launch: SOI Memory Handbook” →

soi-ipp

IPP in the Panoply of Learning

soisystems

There are three broad stages in human learning.

Humans, unlike almost all other creatures, are slow in developing the capacity to learn appropriate to their environs.  Most creatures come into life pre-wired with almost all they need to survive and thrive — humans have a greater need, and a greater capacity to learn, but they are not completely pre-wired — they need to learn how to learn.

The first stage is so elementary that it was not even identified until the last half-century.  It is called “patterning”. It occurs when babies first start to explore their environment by crawling and otherwise controlling their bodies in exploring the outside world.    This “motor learning” seems so natural, that it is commonly not considered “learning”, but for whatever reason, some children miss developing important aspects of this development, so they Continue reading “IPP in the Panoply of Learning” →

SOI News

Energia SOI Wins Education Award in India

soisystems

We are so excited to announce that Energia SOI, located in India, has won the award for Best Educational Program Start-Up for Kids 2018.

We are so proud of Ambereen and Sadaf, the founders of Energia SOI. They have worked so hard for this achievement!

Ambereen recently wrote to us:

“Hope you all doing fine. I am very excited to share with you Energia SOI has been nominated for India education award 2018. I still remember in May 2014, I wrote a mail to Diane asking of how I can become part of SOI. Its been almost 4 years since that day and here we are receiving an award because of SOI. I wanted to thank you all for giving us an opportunity and believing in us. I feel my journey with SOI has just started and I have a long long way to go. A dream of making SOI part of every household.” Continue reading “Energia SOI Wins Education Award in India” →

SOI News

SOI Summer Workshops 2018

soisystems

It’s time to start planning for this summer’s workshops! We can’t wait to see you!

This year we have three different workshops available: Intermediate/Advanced, Advanced/Associate, and SOI-IPP. Find details for each below!

INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED WORKSHOP

Join us for three days to complete your Intermediate and Advanced training requirements at once. The first day will be your Intermediate level training, where you will improve your SOI interpretation skills and gain access to our online testing option with the ALA and PLA tests.

The next two days, you will Continue reading “SOI Summer Workshops 2018” →

learning skills, soi-ipp, The Basics

SOI System’s Approach to Learning Problems

soisystems

SOI Systems is a company with a 50 year history of addressing student learning problems. Our focus has been primarily on making sure that the student’s capacities for learning are matching the expectations of the teaching situation – whether that is in a school, a university, or less formal circumstances like home schooling.

When the student’s capacities for learning do not match the expectations of the learning situation, we take a clinical approach to the situation – isolate and identify the learning problem; make a preliminary diagnosis, test to find the probable cause; prescribe an intervention; and monitor to see if the intervention is effective.

This is not a one-size-fits-all approach – it is individualized for each student-client. On the other hand, as with any clinical practice, there are broad guidelines based on years of experience. These guidelines define three general areas.

INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES AND CONCEPTS

All learning situations are predicated on a set of expectations about the student’s cognitive abilities – acquisition of new data or concepts (cognition), recall of data acquired (memory), information Continue reading “SOI System’s Approach to Learning Problems” →