Practitioners receive Training in Systematic Instruction

Staff at Cambridge Regional College have been learning the skills and techniques of Training in Systematic Instruction (TSI) to support students in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) department, as they prepare for work and independent living.

The training, delivered by Preparing for Adulthood Regional Advisor, Ellen Atkinson, works on the basis that everyone can learn, and the expectation is that every learner is able to succeed. To ensure success, practitioners are trained to identify ways of breaking learning down into manageable chunks, learning the task themselves before delivering the systematic instruction back to the student, through a repeated process until they are confident in performing the task independently.

To explore the benefits of this training, Cambridge Regional College recruited 10 Consultant Learners and 3 members of staff, at the Huntingdon Campus, to participate in a TSI training programme. We caught up with Hannah Driver to find out more about the training.

“I am a Learning Support Mentor at the Huntingdon Campus, and my role involves supporting learners with a wide range of needs to empower them to reach their full potential, not only academically but also in respect of life skills such as independence. 

I first learned about the TSI training when my department lead offered me a space on the course. I was interested in the concepts, and I was hoping to learn more about strategies and techniques for teaching/ instructing those with Special Educational Needs. 

I have a Psychology degree, so feel more confident dealing with the mental health side of SEN but didn’t have much prior academic knowledge of teaching practical techniques. I was hoping the training would increase my confidence in teaching practical tasks and ‘bridge the gap’ to enhance the understanding I have of the way my students learn. 

The course delivery was planned over a total of three days. Two consecutive days, which have already taken place and a feedback session in April. On the first day we were introduced to Training in Systematic Instruction and how we can use these techniques in our own job roles to benefit our students or service users. 

To learn the techniques, we were given a brief of teaching students how to build a bike brake. We were shown how to do it ourselves, given time to practice and learn, before spending time teaching each other using the systematic instruction approach. The following day, students from the college joined us as consultant learners. Working in small groups, we each taught a SEND student how to build a bike brake using systematic instruction. Afterwards we gathered our findings and had a discussion and review of how it went for each person and watched videos of ourselves to assess what we could improve on for next time. 

Over the coming weeks, we have been tasked with picking a learner to work with to help them achieve a complex task, using the techniques we applied in the training. Using assessment sheets, we will follow their progress and on the final day of training, we will share our findings and discuss this as a group.

The training has equipped me with the knowledge and understanding that I was seeking, and more. I feel I now have a better understanding of what led the education and care system to implement these strategies. As there was a large practical component to the training, witnessing the type of support I give really helped me to put myself into the student’s shoes. I became self-aware of how I communicate with students and how clear /unclear my instruction can be at times. I have also learned that stepping back and allowing the learner to gain belief in themselves, without unnecessary prompting, can really benefit their confidence in their abilities. 

I would recommend this training to anyone working within a SEND environment. The training sessions felt like a safe space to share ideas with other people from a wide range of roles within the education and social sector. The training team were very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject, and they were supportive of our learning journey.

Jeremy Lloyd, Director of Supported Learning, and Inclusion said, “We are really pleased that this TSI training opportunity for practitioners across the region was delivered at our Huntingdon Campus. 

We are immensely proud of our students for stepping up to be active participants in the training, supporting practitioners to understand and practice the principles of the TSI training. We find that this approach is extremely successful in supporting our students, and it is therefore used across the department and in our Supported Internship programme to enable students to achieve.”

Connor Leaf-Grimshaw, Consultant Learner said, “During the training I built a bike brake using verbal instruction. The training helped me because they showed me step-by-step how to build something. It also taught me to do things slowly, and not to rush. I really enjoyed the training, and it was fascinating to learn how to assemble a bike brake.”

Find out more about the Supported Learning department at Cambridge Regional College and explore more about Training in Systematic Instruction.