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  • Learning Support: Information and Guidance for Staff

    Each of the sections below contain key information for College staff on both the services offered by our central Learning Support Team and advice, guidance and 'top ten tips' for a range of conditions. We hope you find the contents of this page useful to you in your teaching and support of students. If you have any questions that aren't answered by the information in this section, please don't hesitate to ask us. Please feel free to contact any member of the Learning Support Team. Click here to meet the team.

  • Topic 143

    Equality and Diversity and Teaching and Learning

    • What do we mean by 'embedding equality and diversity'?

      • Meeting the needs of individual students by being sensitive to their culture and abilities
      • Promoting equality by providing positive messages and challenging all forms of prejudice and discrimination
      • Promoting diversity by getting different groups to work together, encouraging respect, being inclusive and valuing differences.

      Why focus on equality and diversity in the curriculum?

      • It is part of understanding the needs of others and about social justice. 
      • Including equality and diversity issues within the curriculum helps to prepare students for the community in which they live, work and It prepares them for the “real world”.

      How?:  Choose the right resources:

      • Check resources for bias.
      • Aim to choose resources that do not stereotype, disadvantage or poke fun at anyone based on their race, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, disability, gender, where they live or any other personal characteristic.
      • Use materials that promote good equality practice and community cohesion.

      How?: Challenge racist, sexist and homophobic assumptions and attitudes:

      • These assumptions and attitudes denigrate individuals and have serious consequences for all of us.  Such assumptions and attitudes will have consequences when students progress to the “real world”.

      How?: Promote respect for diversity:

      • Set clear ground rules
      • Signpost students to the college’s equality policies.
      • Encourage students to share information about themselves by using ice breakers to build good relationships, listening and learning from each other.
      • Ensure that people from different groups are able to work together and that issues of inequality in the learning environment are challenged.

      How?: In your lessons:

      • Provide a range of learning opportunities.
      • Challenge and avoid the use of negative or potentially offensive stereotypes or assumptions.
      • Encourage students to value similarities as well as differences.
      • Challenge and actively discourage any language or behaviour which is racist, sexist and homophobic or which demeans people with disabilities from particular neighbourhoods, areas and so on.

      EMBEDDING EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY INTO THE CURRICULUM: MAKING THE IMPLICIT EXPLICIT

        Promoting equality and diversity should be, and can be a feature of every lesson.  This means equality and diversity in its broadest sense: treating people fairly and with respect, enabling them to achieve their full potential.  Promoting equality and diversity doesn’t mean having to do anything differently – it simply means being conscious of these issues in lesson planning and lesson delivery.  Consideration of broad equality and diversity issues is a feature of good teaching because it is about meeting the needs of the individual student.

       GOOD PRACTICE

       The following are features of good practice drawn from lesson observations.

      •  “Evidence that consideration has been given to the diverse needs of students in the class (including ability, ethnicity, gender etc) in planning the lesson and resources.” 
      • “Teacher challenges inappropriate language and banter.” 
      • “A variety of teaching methods are used to suit the learning styles and (dis)abilities of the class.” 
      • “Assessment is fair and delivered in a range of ways to take into account language, disabilities etc.” 
      • “Language used by the teacher is non-discriminatory, appropriate and relevant.” 
      • “Discussion and comments within the class are managed to ensure student attitudes, behaviour, banter and language are appropriate, inclusive and non-discriminatory.” 
      • “Materials and topics are presented in a way that is sensitive to the diverse needs, backgrounds and experiences of students.  Examples used take into account the diversity of the College community and this class.” 
      • “Resources are adapted to ensure that students can access information and to meet individual needs (e.g. large print).”

      STARTING POINT FOR MANAGING EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

      • As equality and diversity have a much higher profile in the new Ofsted inspection framework we need to consider our next step in how we promote these issues both as a College and as individual teachers and tutors.
      • It is worth bearing in mind that equality and diversity is a much broader subject than many people think: fundamentally it is about treating all community members with fairness and respect.  But don’t be threatened by terminology, these are things we all do well.

       A personal audit of your skills, experiences and qualities will help you to recognise where you are doing well and where there might be room for development.  The audit below provides a useful starting point.

      SKILLS USED WITH COLLEAGUES Doing well Recognise that I am competent and can support colleagues Recognise that there is more I might be able to
      do

      I  encourage open discussion about equality and diversity
      I express my own
      views openly

      I seek more information when I need it

      I handle sensitive discussions within team meetings to avoid conflict

      I express feelings
      about my colleagues’ attitudes, language and behaviour

      I  directly challenge jokes and derogatory comments about  disability, sexuality, race, gender, religion or belief, age and other areas of discrimination

       

      SKILLS USED WITH STUDENTS Doing well Recognise that I am competent and can support colleagues Recognise that there is more I might be able to do

      I listen when students make complaints about discrimination and their experience of it

      I openly discuss issues of inequality when they arise in my subject/tutor group

      I ensure that all students have opportunities to contribute and to be listened to respectfully

      I set ground rules to prevent racist, sexist or other discriminatory attitudes and behaviour in the classroom

      I manage the group and group discussions when prejudiced views and stereotypes are introduced

      I manage the group and group discussions when prejudiced views and stereotypes are introduced

      I utilise students’ experiences, cultures, background and knowledge where possible

      I am aware of my own prejudices and use of stereotypes

      I challenge discrimination, harassment and victimisation with competence

      I induct  students into equality and diversity issues and explain the consequences of unacceptable behaviour

      I am aware of my own assumptions about difference, cultures, customs and abilities

      Things I would like to develop in relation to equality and diversity:

       

      SUGGESTIONS FOR PROMOTING EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY IN CLASSROOM PRACTICE

      PLANNING

      Consider:

      • The individual students in the class.
      • The students’ background, experiences and prior learning.
      • The learning environment (the need for it to be inclusive, fit for purpose and reflecting the needs of individual learners, such as layout, accessibility, visual features, auditory needs etc).
      • Lesson planning and delivery takes into account the need to break learning into “digestible chunks” and ensure differentiation.

      Examples of good practice:

      • Use of examples that reflect the diversity of the College/class.
      • Images that reflect diversity          
      • Classroom layout enabling all the class to participate and learn.
      • Activities that enable students of different groups to work together.
      • Tasks that match the abilities of the students in the class.

      DELIVERY

      Consider:

      • Allocation of time to explore and debate equality and diversity issues during subject’s induction (rights and responsibilities, appropriate language etc).  Setting appropriate equality and diversity ground rules with the class.
      • Rules on use of inappropriate, offensive and discriminatory language, attitudes, behaviour etc and challenging inequality where and when it occurs.
      • Use of appropriate learning objectives and assessment methods for all students (differentiation).

      Examples of good practice:

      • Establishing ground rules about appropriate language through whole class discussion.
      • Different forms of assessment to suit the individual needs/abilities of students.
      • Including elements of diversity into teaching and learning – making reference and using examples from a variety of cultures, religion, traditions.  Exploring stereotyping and other topics around equality (lesson plan, resources etc).
      • Challenging prejudice and stereotyping in the classroom.
      • Using diversity as an educational resource.  Using the experiences of students as teaching and learning resources.

      RESOURCES

      Consider:

      • Ensuring teaching resources are accessible to all students.
      • Ensuring that images of a diverse range of people are visible in course materials and displays and that named examples reflect diversity.

      Examples of good practice include:

      • Posters/displays celebrating achievements of students.
      • Displays for themed weeks such as E & D week, World Mental Health Day etc.
      • Diverse images in handouts, booklets and displays.

      LEARNING SUPPORT

      Consider:

      • Allowing students the opportunity to discuss learning support needs at the beginning and throughout the course.  Providing support that students like/need.

      Examples of good practice include:

      • Individual discussion leading to teacher providing learning support in the form most appreciated by the  student(s).

      PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR HELPING YOU TO FURTHER EMBED EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY INTO LESSONS OR TUTORIALS

      The following are practical suggestions that may help you to develop your confidence and competence in how you further embed equality and diversity into what is most important in our college – teaching and learning.

      CREATING A SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

      However clear our messages about equality and diversity are, they will be competing with:

      • attitudes of friends and family members
      • strong media influences and views which are expressed every day.
      • the developing views of young people about equality and diversity.

      Tips for creating a safe and encouraging environment:

      • Always set clear ground rules.
      • Encourage students to identify their own ground rules.
      • Agree how you and students will tackle the breaking of ground rules.
      • Encourage students to take responsibility for reminding one another about the ground rules.
      • Discuss with students what they think is not acceptable language, behaviour, attitudes and viewpoints.
      • You may want to consider making a list of unacceptable language, behaviour, attitudes and viewpoints but this can be highly sensitive.

      SELECTING LEARNING ACTIVITIES

      Issues relating to equality and diversity crop up in some subjects more than other.  However in class discussions, interactions or activities, equality and diversity issues will crop up in every subject at some stage.

      Equality and diversity are dynamic issues meaning that the cultural, political, social context and language we use to discuss them is constantly changing.  The activities you select will be influenced by:

      • students’ backgrounds, cultures and identities
      • students’ ages
      • students’ needs
      • students’ interests
      • local issues
      • national issues
      • how best to reflect the realities, priorities and issues of today’s world
      • length of the session
      • number of sessions
      • starting point of the students
      • desired learning outcomes.

      Make use of local incidents, TV dramas and soaps, human interest stories, news events and whatever is happening in the world to raise and encourage on-going discussion, debate and personal reflection.

      SETTING GROUND RULES

      We all use ground rules in our teaching.  They provide a framework to ensure open, respectful dialogue, and maximum participation.  Using ground rules to build a safe and learning environment is especially important in the fields of equality where many themes are strongly linked to personal values and experiences.  A completely safe learning environment provides support for the shifts in thinking and practice that new knowledge and skills often require:

      Therefore, ground rules should be developed in order to:

      • assist the teacher to explore and develop a framework within which to discuss equality and diversity themes.
      • help students to understand what is expected of them in terms of attitudes, behaviour, language and so on.
      • clarify the rights and responsibilities of all concerned.
      • encourage discussion to define clear parameters for discussion and classroom interaction.
      • assist in making the learning environment safe for all to learn and express themselves.

      Ground rules should be drawn to the attention of students before and during the course by:

      • including in induction packs and materials.
      • displaying them as a wall chart.
      • displaying them as part of the subject induction.
      • disseminating them to everyone participating in the course and asking students if they wish to add anything to the list.
      • referring to them throughout lessons.

      Learning always involves some risk.  Creating a safe learning climate for exploring sensitive issues is essential.

      TIPS FOR INCLUSIVE LESSON/TUTORIAL DELIVERY

      Inclusive practices include:

      • meeting the individual requirements of all students
      • using inclusive language that does not cause offence
      • respecting differences
      • making every effort to be aware of culture, customs, religious differences and special and specific needs as well as individuals’ backgrounds.

      Practical approaches to fostering inclusion include:

      • familiarising yourself with equality and diversity policies
      • producing resources and information in formats to meet the needs of all students equally
      • developing resources to raise awareness of discriminatory behaviour and demonstrate how to challenge and avoid it
      • raising awareness of equality issues
      • tackling inequality and discrimination and actively promoting understanding and respect for all
      • respecting and providing for practices which support religious beliefs
      • creating learning environments which welcome all groups
      • providing students with guidelines on acceptable behaviour for equality
      • sharing information on employment law and equality legislation when they crop up in a lesson (these explain the consequences of not taking equality and diversity seriously).

      Tips for the successful delivery of inclusive learning include:

      • creating a learning environment that is ‘safe’ and encourages students to share their thoughts, feelings and concerns
      • develop clear and common ground rules
      • using everyday news to raise awareness and encourage ongoing discussion, debate and self reflection
      • challenging with respect.

      CHALLENGING WITH CONFIDENCE: HANDLING STRONG VIEWS AND EMOTIONS

      Equality and diversity issues arise in some subjects more than others but in every subject or tutor group there will be times when they crop up.  People’s feelings and views about equality and diversity can be difficult to explore, particularly in a classroom situation.  You will face students dealing with issues such as:

      • embarrassment
      • boredom
      • defensiveness
      • lack of confidence
      • lack of understanding
      • inability to make up their own minds or form their own opinions
      • ‘nothing to do with me’ attitudes/behaviour
      • strong racist/sexist/homophobic views and opinions
      • variable attitudes towards difference
      • learned behaviour
      • entrenched family views
      • past experiences of bullying, discrimination, exclusion etc

      The teacher/tutor’s role in any of these sorts of scenarios is to remain calm, encourage students not to make personal comments or to take comments personally, and focus on the task in hand.  Many such challenges can be turned to good use in a lesson.  The power of the group should never be underestimated and learning points can be extracted from the most difficult situations.

      IDENTIFYING PREJUDICED ATTITUDES AND DISCRIMINATION

      Racism, homophobia and similar behaviour against other groups may take the form of:

      • incitement of others to behave in a similarly discriminatory way
      • physical assault against a person or group because of their differences
      • derogatory name-calling, insults, jokes and language (eg “that’s so gay”)
      • pro-discrimination graffiti
      • provocative behaviour such as wearing pro-discrimination badges or insignia
        • bringing pro-discrimination materials such as leaflets, comics, magazines or computer software into the organisation
        • verbal abuse and threats
        • discriminatory comments during discussions
        • ridiculing individuals because of their differences.
        • refusal to co-operate with others because of their differences

      HOW TO DEAL WITH PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION

      Your option for dealing with such behaviour can include any combination of the following:  

      • challenging it immediately in front of the class
      • challenging it in private at the earliest opportunity
      • concentrating on supporting the person targeted or victimised
      • encouraging a spontaneous group discussion about the incident
      • referring to the organisation’s equality and race policies/code of conduct
      • building an appropriate anti-discrimination activity into future sessions
      • raising the issue at a departmental meeting with a view to agreeing a collective or long term response.

      FINAL TIPS

      When challenging language or behaviour, aim to:

      • avoid direct confrontation and aggression
      • respect the student’s personal space however much you disagree with their views
      • challenge the idea not the person
      • repeat the comment to check your understanding of it
      • ask the student to repeat themselves or what they mean
      • ALWAYS TAKE ACTION

  • Learning Support: Staff Profiles

    The Learning Support Team bring a wide range of expertise and experience to support our students through the course of their studies. On this page you'll find where each team member is based, their contact details and specific areas of expertise.

    • Head of Learning Support

                     Michael Hall           

      Name : Michael Hall

      Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways Building: Room ?

      email : michael.hall@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk

      Extension : 02443

      Administration Officer

                       Alyson Simpson       

      Name : Alyson Simpson

      Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways Building: Room ?

      email : alyson.simpson@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk

      Extension : 03404

      Bede Campus

                                   

      Name : Kevin Lynch

      Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways Building: Room ?

      email : kevin.lynch@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk

      Extension : 02718

      Specialist Area : Mental Health / Qualified MHFA Instructor

       

      City Campus

                 

      Name : Kay Bowes

      Campus Base : City Campus: Room 3.09

      email :  kay.bowes@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk

      Extension :  05788

      Specialist Area : Specific Learning Difficulties: Autism, Dyslexia.

       

       Washington Campus

      Bill Wildish

      Name : Bill Wildish

      Campus Base : Washington Campus: Room 23

      email : bill.wildish@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk

      Extension : 00717

      Specialist Area : Dyslexia (AMBDA, SpLD APC)

       

      Learning Support Coordinators

                                    

      Name : Elaine Pilcher

      Campus Base : Hartlepool Sixth Form 

      email : elaine.pilcher@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk

      Extension : tbc

      Specialist Area : tbc

      Deborah Barker

      Name : Deborah Barker

      Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways: Building Room?

      email : deborah.barker@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk

      Extension : 03590

      Specialist Area : Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC)

      Lesley Ramsey

      Name : Lesley Ramsey

      Campus Base : City Campus: 30?

      email : lesley.ramsey@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk

      Extension : 03569

      Specialist Area : Social, Emotional Behaviour Difficulties (SEBD)

       

      A Adamson

      Name : Angela Adamson

      Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways: Building Room ?

      email : angela.adamson@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk

      Extension : 02938

      Specialist Area : Foundation Learning

      Special Educational Needs (SEN) Transition Officer

      Judith Taylor

      Name : Judith Taylor

      Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways: Building Room ?

      email : judith.taylor@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk

      Extension : 03573

      Specialist Area : Education Health Care Plans

       

       

  • Topic 147

    Equipment available for Learning Support

    • Business Case, PowerPoint & Job Descriptions

      • Business Case, PowerPoint & Job Descriptions

        • Misc / Shared

        • Topic 175

          • BKSB

            • Refresh your knowledge about our online English & Maths skills system

              bksb® is the UK’s most popular eLearning solution for Functional Skills and GCSE. Learners will take the initial assessment to determine their level and then diagnostic assessment to determine their strengths and areas to improve.

              12 Quick and Useful BKSB Facts

              1. Staff and students can access BKSB via the BKSB link on the drop-down menu under Student Life on Moodle’s top menu bar.
                STUDENT LIFE > Maths and English > BKSB
              2. A data bridge synchronises our enrolled learners on ProSolution with the BKSB system. This is set to allow every student who is enrolled on a Maths or English programme (Functional Skills and GCSE) to access the system. Also, all students on our Access to HE and Pre- Access programmes can also access the system as can all students in Curriculum area T15 (Education & Care).
              3. Student accounts are generated at their first login to the BKSB system. Students are welcome to log in and start using BKSB for initial/diagnostic assessments at any time.
              4. Students log in with their College Student ID Number as their BKSB Username. Their initial BKSB Password is set to the word password (all in lower case.) They are prompted to change this to something more secure. Staff can reset their students’ passwords at any time if they forget them.
              5. Students can access the system from both inside and outside College and on tablets and smartphones via a browser.
              6. Staff can create their own groups in BKSB and add their students to them.
              7. When students log in for the first time they will see their student dashboard with the courses on it that they’ve been allocated. They should select an option (a level) (eg. GCSE Achieve – which includes both English and Maths).
              8. At every stage, students will see a Next button followed by a link to what the system recommends them to do next. (At first this will take them to an Overview Assessment.)
              9. After students have done their initial assessments and diagnostic assessments they’ll be given an ILP of practice material to work through. This is based on all the things they didn’t do well on in the diagnostic assessments.
              10. Their ILP’s (consisting of interactive resources and skills checks) will subsequently appear on their BKSB homepage after they’ve done their initial diagnostic tests and they can begin to work through them each time they log in.
              11. English and Maths staff can see their students’ progress in both BKSB and in the new sections of ProMonitor.
              12. Subject teachers can see how their learners are progressing in their English and Maths via both the ProMonitor markbook (where marks for formative assessments are recorded) and by the English & Maths Diagnostic / Progress pages in ProMonitor (in every learner’s Miscellaneous menu).

          • Topic 179

          • Northumberland College Merger Updates

            • Test

          • Topic 181

            • Click email college logo
            • JavaScript mailto Attribute

          • Mental Health and Well-being Support

            The College welcomes learners with disabilities including those with mental health difficulties and aims to provide the appropriate support, resources, facilities, and services to enable all students to be successful in their chosen programme of study. We recognise that everyone is unique and we will work with learners to identify any barriers that exist and what can be done to overcome them. In this section you'll find links to resources selected for you by our Specialist Support Lecturer, Kevin Lynch, who advises on support for mental health issues.