Working with learning mentorsLearning mentors support, motivate and challenge pupils who are underachieving. They help pupils overcome barriers to learning caused by social, emotional and behavioural problems.Learning mentors need good listening skills and an understanding of health and social issues that affect children and young people's development. The mentors mainly work with children who experience 'barriers to learning', including poor literacy/numeracy skills, under-performance against potential, poor attendance, disaffection, danger of exclusion, difficult family circumstances and low self-esteem. - DFES

Role of the learning mentor

Professional Friend

Role Model

ObserverSupport Teacher

Assessor

Negotiator

Supporter

Target Setter

Working as a support teacher

• Identify focus students and deliver specific objectives. – regular focused input identified on a timetable.

• Team teaching with the teacher. Attends planning meetings and then differentiates teachers plans or provides additional resources to scaffold the learning (word banks, larger print)

• Short term specialised intervention programs, progress measured over a block of time, (eg, Springboard to maths, Phonics, circle time).

Working as a role model/professional friend!

• Ask questions don’t judge!• Be on time and prepared.• Be flexible with working non structured times:

break time/lunchtime.• Feedback to the teachers.• Be impartial, stick to facts.• Listen.• Think holistically about supporting students -

Emotionally and physically well presented students experience higher levels of success.

Did you find it difficult to

concentrate in class today? What

could we do to help?

I noticed you appear sad since falling out with

Abdullah, do you think we can sort

things out together?

Working as an assessor!• Useful websites:• http://www.syntheticphonics.com/burtreadingtestpage.ht

m Reading age assessment (free)

• http://www.sdqinfo.com Strengths and difficulties questionnaire (free + free report generator!).

• http://www.humansnotrobots.co.uk/p/resources-hub.html Use early identification sheets for ADD/dyspraxia etc (free resources and links) http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/SEN-Initial-Checklists-6144453/

• Observations – observe a pupil for 10 minutes in different aspects of a lesson – look every 10 seconds and record what they are doing (factual)

Writing targets and IEP’s

• Use assessments and observations to identify key areas of weakness.

• Communicate this with teachers/parents• Write SMART targets together, identifying who,

what, when, and how often. Keep written records for review sessions.

• http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/SEN-Strategy-Banks-6144464/

• IEP writer – create and print free IEP’s • http://www.iepwriter.co.uk/

Being Supportive!Set up buddy

systems

Give time

Talk to parents/teachers

Set up reward systems/special

programs.

Give praise

Create a non threatening

environment – ok to make mistakes.

Don’t give up -find a way to make it work