Aim
To promote LSA understanding of their roles in enabling progress towards learning goals and different tools they can employ to support learners’ ownership of their learning.
Learning points
LSAs should understand their responsibilities for recording learner progress.
LSA understanding of learners’ baselines ensures appropriate task setting.
LSA understanding of learners’ baselines is key to ensuring learners are not engaged in tasks they are already capable of or tasks that are too complex. Planning learning activities in achievable steps supports achievement and learner progress.
Learners often require support in applying skills across different contexts.
Learners will often need support in understanding how achievements in one context can be applied on others. For example, making a ham and tomato omelette after mastering making a cheese and onion omelette. Providing these opportunities for consolidation and flexibility of thought is equally as important as learning the original skills.
LSAs play a crucial role in recognising and communicating learner progress.
LSAs play unique roles in supporting learner understanding of their progress and ensuring tutors and other college staff are aware of the learners’ levels of understanding.
LSAs should feel empowered to run with opportunities for skill development which appear in the moment.
LSAs should work in the moment and not miss opportunities for wider life skills development and learner progress in areas that may not be directly relevant to the task in hand.
Engaging learners in self-reflection promotes progress and ownership.
Involving learners in reflecting on achievements and planning next steps is key for learner progress.
Effective questioning techniques enhance LSA’s understanding of how learners feel.
Effective questioning such as the use of open questions will inform LSA understanding of where the learner is at and how they feel about progress. This can link back to learners self-reflecting.
Sharing ‘what works’ is important for supporting learning and progress across the curriculum.
LSAs should understand the strategies which are most relevant to their setting and the learners they work alongside.
Supporting students to make progress requires planning and a cohesive approach between the college team. LSAs need to understand what learners are working towards and how they can support them to reach these goals.
