Who will be coaching my child?
All of our coaches are Certified Learning Styles Specialists through the Learning Success Institute and Certified Teachers trained in the Learning Style Model of Education, with over 20 years experience working with children.

Why is discovering my child’s learning style important?
It takes personal attention to discover and nurture the self-directed, eager learner in any child, unfortunately, the majority of our schools do not have enough time or sufficient number of teachers to give children individualized attention; therefore if you want personal attention for your chid, you are going to have to take charge and give it yourself. By taking time to discover your child’s learning style, you can provide a foundation for your child’s lifelong learning-success. With the results from the Self-Portrait Power Traits ™ Assessment, you will be able to nurture your child’s natural gifts and natural eagerness to learn. You will learn to assess learning styles as well as valuable ways to interact with your child that encourage positive learning experiences at school and at home.

What can I expect from working with Solimar?
We adhere to the Learning Style Model for all student learning in Solimar Academy. When your child comes into the Solimar community, you can expect that by the time your child graduates they will be a self-directed life-long learner. We believe at Solimar that while some children are naturally self-motivated, there is an eager learner in every child. This includes all children; the one who is interested more in video games or has been labeled ADD or ADHD or LD. It’s your child’s natural curiosity to learn even before they crawl. We at Solimar emphasize each child’s unique learning needs. Rather than applying labels such as ADD, dyslexic, learning disabled, hyperactive, slow, average, below average, above average, gifted, unmotivated etc.-and attempting to “fix” or “direct” the child, this system celebrates each child’s natural gifts and abilities. We encourage parents and teachers to treat each child as an individual and to find out what the child loves to do. It teaches the child how to use the learning-style information to learn more efficiently in all situations. Your child’s coach will create a learning plan that will
guide your child through the school year discovering curriculum that is best suited for their disposition and learning style. We then support either monthly, bi-monthly or weekly in person, phone calls or through the internet. Progress reports are twice a year along with a report card at the end of the year.

Do you offer full courses or full time enrollment?
We offer full time enrollment for students K-12th grade. The program is created around your child’s interests and the Power Traits ™ online learning assessment. We offer private part-time coaching services for adults and children not enrolled in Solimar Academy.

What if my child was previously in special education? Do you have services for that?
If your child has been diagnosed as having a “learning disability” or you suspect a “learning disability”, we believe at Solimar when the Learning Style Model of Education is implemented, there is less need for testing or labeling; while determining their learning style is what’s important for your child to meet their academic goals and discover their unique learning needs. However, we do provide certified teachers in special education to support your child’s learning program and to interpret assessments and the IEP, as needed, to further your child’s success in their learning journey.

What is the philosophy of Learning at Solimar Academy?
If using the bell curve is so important for assessing what people know and can do, then we at Solimar believe that all the ways that people are talented or “smart” should be measured and therefore create many bell curves. With this system of assessing multiple abilities all children would be acknowledges for his/her particular gifts and all would experience being at the the top of the bell curve!

Is there Evidence for Learning Styles?

Rita Dunn’s survey on learning styles: “No learning style is better or worse than another. Since each style has similar intelligence ranges, a student cannot be labeled or stigmatized by having any (one) type of style. Most children can master the same content, how they master it is determined by their individualized styles.”

David Elkins, professor of chid study at Tufts University and author of books on child development, “There isn’t sufficient individualization in the schools. High standards are best met by individualization. Most of the printed curriculum material makes little provision for wide differences in learning styles. It’s not that we shouldn’t have expectations and standards, but we need to recognize that children don’t all learn in the same way at the same rate.”