Session Outline

By the end of this interactive session, participants shall have an understanding of the profile of cognition individual students with a range of specific learning differences bring to the tutorial setting (Krcmar, 2019 & Meltzer, 2007); an understanding of the importance of an intersectional approach to their work with students so that a holistic approach can empower the student as both personal tutor and student can better understand the different aspects a student brings, for example, dyspraxia, ADHD, black or brown ethnic group, gender, from a care setting and with learning anxiety; have confidence to engage in a meaningful dialogue with their student to enhance their learning (Hill Collins, P. & Bilge, S., 2016 and Shone, C. 2021)

It is assumed that most tutors now have some knowledge of the characteristics of a range of specific learning differences so while this workshop will introduce briefly some main characteristics, its main aim is to help the tutor to understand more about how it feels to be a student with this, often overlapping, profile. It will help tutors understand why some students find some things easy and other things really difficult. We will discuss intersectionality and the impact this may have on different learning approaches. The importance of mental wellbeing and learning will be approached and reflected on (Abbot-Jones, 2022).

Workshop activities will include a selection from:

• Mind games to help understand how different people think in different ways (not the same as ‘learning styles’ which neuroscience has now discredited).
• Activity with playing cards to help understand how memory difficulties can impact learning.
• Games with balloons to give insight to cognitive overload.
• Seated activities for reflection, discussion and feedback.
• A ‘privilege walk’ to understand that not everyone admitted to higher education starts from the same point.
• A discussion of ADSHE’s 7 Principle® of best practice which underpin the professional pedagogic expertise in developing students’ metacognition, resilience and an enthusiasm for learning.