Category: Classrooms

Classrooms · inspiration

The Missing Link to Learning

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“I’M NOT DOING THIS ANYMORE! My head hurts, I keep losing my place, and I can’t remember what I read!”

These words assailed me as I walked into our fifteen year-old’s room. Her text book landed on the floor in front of her, just before her words landed on me. As a parent, these are not the words you want to hear from you son or daughter. Needless to say I was dismayed.

Aside from adolescence, what had changed this person from an enthusiastic student who claimed reading as her favorite subject, to the frustrated student sitting dejectedly on the floor of her room? I was an educator, a specialist no less! I was supposed to know what to do!

Little did I know, the next week Continue reading “The Missing Link to Learning” →

Classrooms · training

Helping Students Learn to Read

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Basic Reader is a complete reading program designed for elementary age students who are struggling with reading.

There are three major causes of reading difficulties: students do not have the necessary perceptual skills; students are not ready cognitively; or the teaching method does not match the students learning style.

Basic Reader addresses all of these causes and helps students read better in five easy steps:

  1.  screen student for vision problems
  2. determine student’s learning style (figural, symbolic, or semantic)
  3. choose the best learning path for the student
  4. administer workbook and computer exercises tailored for the student
  5. reintroduce reading instruction

Basic Reader can be used with many different kinds of students: Continue reading “Helping Students Learn to Read” →

Classrooms · inspiration

SOI Success In My Classroom

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I’ve had the pleasure of being the SOI/IPP teacher at Southcrest Christian School in Lubbock, Texas for four years. In those four years I’ve learned more about people and education than I ever did in college, and I know there is so much more to learn!

I think the thing that gives me the most pleasure in working my students is the self-confidence and happiness I see develop in them. I have so many success stories to share, but I will just give some snapshots of a few of them.

One particular student began to ride his scooter and bike all over the block after working in the IPP lab; he couldn’t do that before! Another student went to Disneyland with his family and was so much more confident; he skipped and danced with the Chipmunks in front of a room full of people. His mom sent me a picture of this proud moment!

My own son Continue reading “SOI Success In My Classroom” →

Classrooms · Testing

Using the SOI Creativity Short Form Test

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SOME KINDS OF INTELLECTUAL GIFTEDNESS RELATE STRONGLY TO ACADEMICS, OTHERS TO LEADERSHIP, AND STILL OTHERS TO THE CREATIVE ARTS & WRITING.

The Creativity Short Form profiles the creativity areas in which the student is gifted, near-gifted, above average, average, or below average. This test is often used by schools for highly capable programs, as well as gifted and talented programs.

CREATIVITY SHORT FORM SUBTESTS

DFU: CREATIVITY USING FIGURAL UNITS
Academic Skill: creativity with things
Curricular Area: spatial/graphic arts
Strength if well-developed: good fluency and confidence with ideas
Consequences if not well-developed: will be inhibited in tasks without explicit instructions

DMU: CREATIVITY USING SEMANTIC UNITS
Academic Skill: creativity with words and ideas
Curricular Area: creative writing
Strength if well-developed: ability to produce ideas and put them together
Consequences if not well-developed: will be slow and/or vague in writing; probably poor in composition

DSR: CREATIVITY WITH RELATIONAL SYMBOLS
Academic Skill: creativity with math and symbols
Curricular Area: mathematics
Strength if well-developed: confidence and willingness to explore new math concepts
Consequences if not well-developed: difficulty understanding new math concepts; timid in exploring solutions

After reviewing the test results, if a student just misses your cut-off criteria, Continue reading “Using the SOI Creativity Short Form Test” →

Classrooms · The Basics

The Brain. Did You Know?

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  • Did you know an ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain?
  • Did you know that even though your brain weighs 2% of your total body weight, it uses 25% of all oxygen you breathe and 15% of your body’s blood supply?
  • Did you know the average human brain contains around 78% water?
  • Did you know that when recognizing a persons’ face you use the right side of your brain?

Brain BlogOur brains are so intricate and interesting! Let’s look at the CEREBRUM which is the largest part of our brain; it is divided into four sections or lobes.

The FRONTAL lobe is used for expressive language, reasoning, cognition, and motor skills. Any damage to this lobe can result in changes in socialization, attention, and behavior.*

Tactile senses like pain, pressure, and touch are processed in the PARIETAL lobe. Any damage to it can cause problems with language, ability of controlling eye gaze, and verbal memory.*

The duty of the OCCIPITAL lobe is to interpret the information gathered from the eyes. If this area is damaged, the visual ability becomes so impaired that the person is unable to recognize words, colors, or objects.*

The TEMPORAL lob is responsible for our memories and processing sounds recorded by our ears. If damaged, our language skills, speech perception, and memory is affected.*

SOI is frequently asked the question, “Can you help?” The answer is definite yes!

We have used the IPP program and memory training in brain damaged and trauma victims, but scientific research and documentation has not been established.  We do know that the process is long and often times painfully frustrating to the client based on personal reports we have received, but results have happened.

WHY? BECAUSE SOI TRAINS THE BRAIN!

If you are working with a trauma victim using the SOI theory, we would love to get your input and results to share with others.

To learn more about SOI online testing, click here!

written by: Jody Brooks, SOI Systems general manager

To view this blog in Spanish, click here.

*www.enkivillage.com/parts-of-the-brain-and-their-functions.html

Classrooms · soi-ipp

Alternate Schools – Alternate Programs

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There is a very strong case to support the existence of alternate programs. Most people are aware of alternate programs that are geared to students who are at risk socially or who struggle academically. Many students can be guided to become successful, productive members of the community with the right kind of intervention.

What you may be less likely to know about is that there is a profile for the “Gifted with Learning Problems” student. These are the ones we refer to as having mountains and valleys.

These students’ potential may be completely derailed as their needs go unmet. They may be brilliant in math with visual or auditory issues that impede reading success. Or they may excel in reading and composition but struggle with algebra.

Teachers are often aghast when their most brilliant students choose to pass on higher education. I’m always amazed at how many truly intelligent people are unaware of their gifts. Or they know they have potential but cannot face the education system with their problems and, for them, so many doors close. The truth is, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Dr. Robert Meeker has pointed out that most learning problems are not profound. They are for the most part undiagnosed and untreated. In our school system, the focus is usually on teaching the child with problems to “cope.”

Most learning problems can be helped – poor auditory processing included – if you understand what’s needed and have the tools to deal with it. Likewise, most problems with math can also be corrected.

Continue reading “Alternate Schools – Alternate Programs” →

Classrooms

Earthly Good

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“This is so frustrating!”

“It’s too hard!”

“I can’t do it anymore!” 

“Why are you making us learn this?”

One would think those statements are coming from students in the classroom, but they are actually coming from the teachers.

Have you heard the saying, “They are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good”? How sad that this nation has become so fixated on “racing to the top” of the education mountain that we are blinded to the fact that we have caused anxiety, heartache, and disillusionment in our teachers.

At what point do we make the change back to the basics in education? How long before school district superintendents say “enough” and operate their district based upon the children’s needs?

Yes, we understand that funds are always the issue. Money is tight, classrooms are large, new curriculum is mandatory, and the only way to meet the budget is to cooperate with the powers that be. But with all these barriers, the policy makers say our children’s ability to score high on the standardized tests is the benchmark of how well a teacher performs his or her duties. Really!?

Personally, I know of teachers who identify learning issues in students Continue reading “Earthly Good” →