New to Learning Support/Resource - Post Primary

Starkystark

Hi there fellow Boardsies.

Hope your all enjoying your holidays. I got a full time roll as a Resource/Learning Support this year. I'm truly delighted. Anyone any advice starting off? Also can anyone recommend or direct me to some good resources/book/games/websites especially aimed for Learning Support or Resource?

I'll be working with students with particular attention on life skills, social skills, anxiety and anger. Haven't got my timetable yet of any other information yet. I would really appreciate any advice and support. Many thanks.

byhookorbycrook

Have a look at the sess.ie site. Their "Signposts" folder is excellent, if you can get your hands on a hard copy.

Get any and all professional reports about the students you will have and, if possible , copies of IEPs to date.

Get your hands on "Commonsense Methods for Children with Special Needs" by Peter Westwood.

Will you be the only SEN teacher?

ETA: In my first year,when I felt overwhelmed and unsure that what I was doing as the "right" approach I got the best bit of advice from a retired teacher. She told me, that many of the students I would put through my hands were the ones for whom school wasn't always the easiest place and that, if for the time they were with me, they felt they were achieving and that they were valued as they were, then everything else was a bonus. We can get bogged down in trying to ensure a student knows subject specific information, but you can't teach someone algebra if they can't actually add! Teach them where they are, not where you think they should be.

Starkystark

Thank you so much for your response 🙂

evolving_doors

Join the Irish Learning Support Association too ilsa.ie . The conferences and workshops are good, try and use the coffee breaks/groupwork sessions to seek out similar schools to yours to form a network.

I see they have a conference coming up Fri 22nd- Sat 23rd. They usually post up details of the workshops/lectures so you can choose which ones to go to. They cater for a wide bunch i.e. primary/post primary/further ed/special schools. Talk to the vice principal about getting the day off, the school should be allocated sub time from the dept. for you to go.

Are you on your own or is there a team or learning support coordinator in the school?

Starkystark

Thanks for your reply. There is a team and an SEN coordinator

evolving_doors

Starkystark wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. There is a team and an SEN coordinator

Ah yer grand so.
There's also sess.ie too for courses ... it's a bit hard to navigate their site and find what you want. Going by the calendar of events is a bit easier to plan for http://www.sess.ie/calendar

Starkystark

I have just received my timetable and 90 per cent of it is where I am in another class with another teacher. It would be fine if these were all my subjects and I guess the class would be team taught. However they are not my subjects. Has anyone else been in a similar position? What do you do? I really really don't want feel like an extra wheel as I've seen this before with other colleagues. Any advice?

Postgrad10

That's the nature of it really. I was working with a student during business and maths classes last year. Tricky to do without disturbing others. Good thing was the teach worked with me so I could prepare the topics in advance so I knew what i was doing.

Starkystark

I guess I was expecting more small class: one to one or two type Resource as that's what I did last year.

I'm sure it'll be grand. Just I know some of those teachers are going to be really hard to work with.

byhookorbycrook

Each student will have an IEP or similar, so yourself and the class teacher will have to collaborate on that and how best to implement it. You will have specific targets as part of that, so won't have time to be the spare wheel!