A short lecture given to support short course trainers in understanding the needs of a variety students.

1. SUPPORTING THE STUDENT
Jon Ellis
MAEd. BA(Hons). FHEA. FSET. MCPara.
Advanced Paramedic Practitioner
Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing and Paramedic Science
Research (PhD) Student De Montfort University
Expert Witness in Paramedic Practice
East Midlands Forensic Pathology Unit

2. STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs 1943 Dreyfus & Dreyfus 1986

3. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT
Cross-cultural theories based on actual
research
• Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire
• Eysenck’s Introvert Vs Extrovert Clock
• McCrea and Costa’s Big 5 Trait
Theory
Less reliable theories based on very little
evidence
• Cattell’s 16PF Questionnaire
• Guilford’s Structure of Intellect
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
etc. etc. …

4. TYPES OF BEHAVIOUR
(THE BIG 5 TRAIT THEORY)
• Openness:
• imagination and insight, broad range of interests
• Conscientiousness:
• thoughtfulness, control and goal-directed behaviours. organized and
mindful of details.
• Extraversion:
• sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, emotional
• Agreeableness:
• trust, altruism, kindness, affection,
• Neuroticism:
• emotional instability, anxiety, moodiness, irritability,
McCrae & Costa (1987).

5. ONE OF THE 5 DOES NOT FIT ALL!!!
DON’T LABEL PEOPLE!!!!!!

6. LEARNING STYLES ARE COMPLETE TOSH!
• Heyday in the 1950 with Behavioural Psychology
• Resurgence in the 1970’s and 80’s
• Refuse to just die on instructor and trainer courses
• Honey & Mumford – no research, just opinion
• VAKT – no research, just opinion
“students are demonstrably capable of learning from any presentation format” (Ausubel (1969) in
Stapleton (2001))
“For some years now, the research evidence has been clear, consistent and convincing: learning styles
are invalid, unreliable and have a negligible impact on practice” (Coffield 2013)
“Students benefit from different kinds of instruction - Because learning requires complex, often
uneven developmental steps like building on prior knowledge, forming conceptual structures slowly,
and varieties of repetition, students benefit when instruction provides various ways to enter into
learning” (Ambrose et. al, 2010).
“A broader approach that invites students to reflect on their learning, rather than narrow their style
down, has been shown to improve learning outcomes”. (Ambrose et. al, 2010).

7. DON’T LET STUDENTS LABEL THEMSELVES!!!!!!

8. HAVING SAID THAT
• Labels are narrow and restrictive
• Stigma is the negative side of the label
BUT
• Diagnosis – is useful to aid the learning experience and create a level
playing field

9. SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
A learning difficulty refers to weaknesses in certain academic
skills.
Reading, Writing and Math are the main ones.
A learning disability is an intellectual restriction
Average IQ – 100, Low IQ - less than 90, Extremely Low – less
than 70
A hidden disability is simply one that is not immediately
evident
Deafness, Sight, Asperger’s Syndrome, Dyslexia, Diabetes,
Chronic Pain, Chronic Fatigue, Anxiety, ADHD, Allergies,

10. COMMON SENS IN SHORT COURSE TRAINING
• Dyslexia - a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read
or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but that do not affect general
intelligence.
• Dyscalculia - severe difficulty in making arithmetical calculations, as a result of
brain disorder.
• Dyspraxia - a developmental disorder of the brain in childhood causing
difficulty in activities requiring coordination and movement.
• Memory Deficit Disorder - the result of damage to neuroanatomical structures
that hinders the storage, retention and recollection of memories .

11. IRLEN SYNDROME
AKA SCOTOPIC SENSITIVITY SYNDROME
Symptoms
• Strain and fatigue
• Tired or sleepy
• Headaches or nausea
• Fidgety or restless
• Eyes that hurt or become watery
Scotopic – Dim Light Vision
Photopic – Bright Light
Vision

12. AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDER

13. DESIGNING SUPPORTIVE TEACHING AND
LEARNING
http://www.bild.org.uk/resources/useful-
resources/
http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/
http://www.dyslexia-lincolnshire.org.uk/
http://irlenuk.com/
https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/lapb/training/13
1809.article

14. ASSESSMENT – LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
Assessment is a key element of teaching
“There is no such thing as a fair test because the concept is too simplistic”
(Gipps 1995 cited in Cox & Harper 2000)
BUT
The application of the test must be fair to all.
Both students with SENs and those without
A Level Playing Field and nothing more!

15. WHO, HOW & WHAT
Only students with a formal diagnosis can have examination and assessment support.
e.g. Poor Spelling and Poor Handwriting may mean you a illiterate but not necessarily
Dyslexic
e.g. I do not like doing mental arithmetic but I do not have Dyscalculia
Students need to acquire an Educational Psychologist (EP) Report aka “A Statement”
Average cost £500
The EP Report with state clearly at the end of section 1
What help the student needs.
Only this level of help and nothing more can be provided i.e. A Level Playing Field

16. “THE STATEMENT”
Not just Dyslexia but all SENs
www.dyslexia-lincolnshire.org.uk – can do a free screening first before students
pays for report
No date restriction on Statement – a report from 1970s is still valid today
Helps student get funding for support services like laptops and dragon software
etc.
Report will differentiate where necessary between written and practical tests

17. COMMON SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS
25% Extra Time
Scotopic Handouts and Exam Sheets
Direct answering onto MCQ paper
Reader (Must be literate but must not know the subject area)
Scribe (Must be literate but must not know the subject area and must write
exactly what the student says – Dragon Software is an option if provided by the
centre and not the student)
Legitimate objections – is the student safe to perform the role away from such
support

18. THANK YOU

19. References
Ambrose, S., Bridges, M., Lovett, M., DiPietro, M., & Norman, M (2010). How Learning Works: 7 Research – Based Principles for Smart
Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Coffield F. (2013) Learning styles: time to move on. Nottingham. National College of School Leadership.
Cox, A and Harper, H (2000) Planning teaching and assessing learning. London: University of Greenwich
Craik & Lockhart (1972) Maintenance and Elaborative Rehearsal in Sternberg R. (1999) The Nature of Cognition. MIT Press. p 525
Department of Health (2013) The National Health Service Constitution. London. The Stationery Office.
Dreyfus H. & Dreyfus S. (1986) Mind Over Machine: The Power of Human Intuition And Expertise in the Age of the Computer. Oxford.
Blackwell.
Higher Education Academy (2011) United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework. York. Higher Education Academy
Illich I. (1973) The Hidden Curriculum in Giddens A. (2001) 4th Ed. Sociology. Cambridge. Polity Press
Kelly D. Lough M. Rushmer R. Wilkinson J. Grieg G. Huw T. Davies (2007) Delivering feedback on learning organisation characteristics using
a
Learning Practice Inventory. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. Blackwell Publishing Limited. Vol. 13 pp. 734-740.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in learning theories, july 18, 2014, Https://www.Learning-theories.Com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs.Html
McCrae R. & Costa P (1987) Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers, in the Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology. New York. American Psychological Association Jan;52(1):81-90
Stapleton M (2001) Cognitive Applications of Learning, Psychology in Practice – Education, London, Holder & Stoughton pp65-70