Learning Support

TIS recognizes that students in every classroom have a variety of abilities and some students may need extra support and attention in order to be successful. The Learning Support coordinator works collaboratively with teachers to identify students with extra learning needs and to plan appropriate programmes for them. Parents are closely involved in the process, and students themselves are included when appropriate.

Services offered include the following:

• Identification of extra learning needs through student observation and information gathering from teachers and parents;
• Preliminary testing to determine areas of strength and weakness;
• Advising teachers on how best to meet the student’s needs within the classroom. Examples are: differentiated instruction, scaffolding student’s learning, alternative assessment methods;
• Helping students and their parents to understand their learning differences and how to cope with them;
• Recommending further in-depth assessment by an educational psychologist or other professional in the student’s home country;
• Reviewing reports from external specialists and communicating recommendations to enable teachers to provide for students’ needs in the classroom. This can involve developing and monitoring an IEP (Individual Education Plan) for some students;
• Supporting students directly in a variety of ways, according to the needs of the student. This could be in-class support, pull-out support to work on a specific skill area, or mentoring (particularly in the secondary school);
• Providing professional development for teachers and information to parents on learning support issues.

If you have concerns about your child’s progress at school, please contact me, but do discuss your concerns with your child’s teachers initially as they will be able to answer questions about the student’s progress in their programme. A collaborative approach is the best way to ensure success for your child.

Kathryn Fern
Learning Support Coordinator