Why SOAR® Study Skills?

Study Skills Are the Most Critical “20%!”

Perhaps you’ve heard of the 80/20 Principle; a law of the universe stating that 80% of an impact comes from 20% of efforts.  80/20 is the reason you wear 20% of the clothes in your closet 80% of the time.  It’s why 80% of healthcare costs are from 20% of the patients.  It’s why 20% of our students demand 80% of our time.

In terms of education, study skills are the most vital “20%.”  Today’s students are preparing for jobs that don’t yet exist.  As technology and information rapidly change, our students don’t need to learn content; they need to learn how to access that content. But, schools are not teaching these skills; they are not teaching students how to learn!

Meanwhile, Employers Are Screaming from Rooftops!

In our rapidly growing Information Age, these skills are not only critical for school success, they are critical for life-long success. The need for these skills is confirmed by dozens and dozens of employer surveys  consistently reporting their top “in demand” skills include:

  • Reading comprehension
  • Learning strategies
  • Written expression
  • Critical thinking
  • Time management
  • Organization
  • Attention to detail
  • Independence

    A detailed survey of "emerging sector employers" confirms that the most-needed skills are not "STEM" skills, they are soft skills! Of the 57 skills on these lists, we teach 95% of them!

    A detailed survey of “emerging sector employers” confirms that the most-needed skills are not “STEM” skills, they are soft skills! Of the 57 skills on these lists, we teach 95% of them!


The SOAR® Study Skills Advantage

First and foremost, we are focused on the success and well-being of students; we ruthlessly focus on being “student-friendly;” all strategies in our program must meet our three criteria for being “student-friendly:”

  1. They are effective.  SOAR® is aligned to the biology of the brain, so our strategies work!
  2. They are efficient. We help students (and teachers & parents) save time!  Just like adults, students prefer the shortest, most efficient path towards their goal.  By aligning strategies to the biology of the brain, we literally make the learning and organizing process as efficient as humanly possible!
  3. They apply across content areas. As a result, students can experience a BIG difference with only a few strategies.  Also, unlike other “study skills” programs, there will be no confusion over when to use strategies.

Expected Results:

Students…

Earn better grades. We teach strategies that optimize learning and recall for students; this translates into increased scores on tests and assignments. Students also learn how to organize their supplies and papers, preventing lost assignments and lost points.

Have more free time. The SOAR® strategies allow students to work more efficiently, saving time and energy while increasing motivation. Students also learn how to prioritize and manage their time so they can effectively balance school, extra-curricular interests, and socializing.

Build confidence! As we help students set goals and teach them how to accomplish those goals, students quickly realize that they can achieve anything they want!

Educators…

Save a LOT of time and energy! Teachers have been carrying far too much responsibility simply because students don’t know how to efficiently organize or learn.  Students actually beg to learn these skills; they want to be responsible!  SOAR® teaches students how to get organized, manage their time, and effectively learn new information.  The program is very clear and flexible for both teachers and students.

Make a life-long difference in their students’ lives!  Countless employer surveys consistently say the same thing over and over again… employers greatest needs are the very skills we teach in SOAR®; reading comprehension, clear written communication, time management, meeting deadlines, organizing and managing details, etc.  Educators often feel frustrated and hopeless when their students clearly do not know how to study, get organized, or make good decisions. Even with their professional expertise, most educators have never learned “how to learn” efficiently and find it difficult to teach these concepts to students. SOAR® Study Skills provide the tools they need to reach and teach their students.

Meet objectives faster.  Once students know how to organize and learn efficiently, teachers can glide through content easily.  As a result, their students will see greater gains on grades and test scores… in less time.

Parents…

Learn how to make homework time shorter, more successful, and less frustrating for their children. Whether their children are in elementary school and are just developing homework habits, or they are in high school and have been struggling a long time, we help parents identify and use strategies that are most appropriate for their children.

Learn how to solve homework battles. Parents first learn the root causes of homework difficulties so they can be better prepared to prevent negative challenges from happening in the first place. Then, they learn simple, positive, and constructive strategies for managing those battles.

Improve communication with their children. Most homework battles are about frustration, lack of control, and miscommunication.  The SOAR® strategies provide detours around these common problems, improving communication for the entire family.


Guiding Beliefs and Values

At SOAR®, we are committed to helping students build confidence with effective and efficient skills.  But, we aren’t just focused on “skills.”

We believe in CHE, “Complete Human Education,” with a very strong emphasis on exploring Multiple Intelligences and identifying personal SuperPowers.  We believe in the abilities of each and every student and know that every individual has talents, even if they are not readily apparent in school situations. Our goal is to excavate those qualities that make each student unique and special, while also giving them the tools to manage life successfully.

We encourage each student to do their personal best. No more, no less. We do not focus on a specific grade point average or insist that all of our students earn straight A’s. Instead, our focus is on self-improvement and self-fulfillment. At the end of each day, we want students to be able to say, “I did my best” and feel proud of their accomplishments.

We believe in empowering teachers and parents.  Teaching and parenting are two of the most difficult life vocations! They require a lot of energy.  It is thankless work.  Meanwhile, others sit on the sidelines and make judgements. We know you put your heart and soul into your students and children and we are here to support you.

 

 

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