Learning support teacher jobs in Finland
Learning support teachers assist students who have general learning difficulties. Learning support teachers focus on basic skills such as numeracy and literacy and thus teach basic subjects such as writing, reading, math and languages and they work for an educational institution such as a primary or secondary school. They support students in their school work, plan learning strategies, identify their learning needs and progress, and act accordingly. They can work in various educational set-ups and act as support for other teachers or manage their own class.
Learning support teacher - Which skills are essential?
Ensure all students falling under an instructor or other person’s supervision are safe and accounted for. Follow safety precautions in the learning situation.
Prepare content to be taught in class in accordance with curriculum objectives by drafting exercises, researching up-to-date examples etc.
Various evaluation techniques, theories, and tools applicable in the assessment of students, participants in a programme, and employees. Different assessment strategies such as initial, formative, summative and self- assessment are used for varying purposes.
Follow up on students’ learning progress and assess their achievements and needs.
Communicate with education management, such as the school principal and board members, and with the education support team such as the teaching assistant, school counsellor or academic advisor on issues relating the students' well-being.
Take students' personal backgrounds into consideration when teaching, showing empathy and respect.
Identify the learning struggles and successes of students. Select teaching and learning strategies that support students’ individual learning needs and goals.
Employ various approaches, learning styles, and channels to instruct students, such as communicating content in terms they can understand, organising talking points for clarity, and repeating arguments when necessary. Use a wide range of teaching devices and methodologies appropriate to the class content, the learners' level, goals, and priorities.
Provide the necessary support to students with general learning difficulties in literacy and numeracy to facilitate learning by assessing the learner’s development needs and preferences. Design formal and informal outcomes of learning and deliver materials that facilitate learning and development.
Provide private, supplementary instruction to students individually to enhance their learning. Support and mentor students who struggle with a certain subject or who have learning difficulties.
Evaluate the students' (academic) progress, achievements, course knowledge and skills through assignments, tests, and examinations. Diagnose their needs and track their progress, strengths, and weaknesses. Formulate a summative statement of the goals the student achieved.
The learning disorders some students face in an academic context, especially Specific Learning Difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and concentration deficit disorders.
Identify the needs of students, organisations and companies in terms of provision of education in order to aid in the development of curricula and education policies.
Instruct students in the most fitting manner in regards to the teaching context or the age group, such as a formal versus an informal teaching context, and teaching peers as opposed to children.
Present to others examples of your experience, skills, and competences that are appropriate to specific learning content to help students in their learning.
Use verbal and non-verbal communication and communicate through writing, electronic means, or drawing. Adapt your communication to children and young people`s age, needs, characteristics, abilities, preferences, and culture.
Provide founded feedback through both criticism and praise in a respectful, clear, and consistent manner. Highlight achievements as well as mistakes and set up methods of formative assessment to evaluate work.
Ensure that the necessary materials for teaching a class, such as visual aids, are prepared, up-to-date, and present in the instruction space.
Support and coach students in their work, give learners practical support and encouragement.
Ensure that the content, methods, materials and the general learning experience is inclusive for all students and takes into account the expectations and experiences of learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Explore individual and social stereotypes and develop cross-cultural teaching strategies.
Communicate with the school staff such as teachers, teaching assistants, academic advisors, and the principal on issues relating to students' well-being. In the context of a university, liaise with the technical and research staff to discuss research projects and courses-related matters.
The goals identified in curricula and defined learning outcomes.
Stimulate students to appreciate their own achievements and actions to nurture confidence and educational growth.
Learning support teacher - Which skills are useful but not essential?
Provide assistance in the planning and organisation of school events, such as the school's open house day, a sports game or a talent show.
Observe and detect symptoms of Specific Learning Difficulties such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyscalculia, and dysgraphia in children or adult learners. Refer the student to the correct specialised educational expert if necessary.
The process of analysing a student's learning needs through observation and testing, potentially followed by the diagnosis of a learning disorder and a plan for additional support.
Teach basic or advanced writing principles to varying age groups in a fixed eduction organisation setting or by running private writing workshops.
Encourage students to cooperate with others in their learning by working in teams, for example through group activities.
Evaluate the different aspects of development needs of children and young people.
Set up, in collaboration with the student, an individual learning plan (ILP), tailored to the student's specific learning needs, taking into account the student's weaknesses and strengths.
Instruct students in the practice of discerning and understanding written communication. Use different materials and contexts when teaching. Assist in the development of reading strategies suitable for learners’ needs and goals, including: skimming and scanning or for the general comprehension of texts, signs, symbols, prose, tables, and graphics.
Observe students during instruction and identify signs of exceptionally high intelligence in a student, such as showing remarkable intellectual curiosity or showing restlessness due to boredom and or feelings of not being challenged.
Accompany students on an educational trip outside the school environment and ensure their safety and cooperation.
Mathematics is the study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. It involves the identification of patterns and formulating new conjectures based on them. Mathematicians strive to prove the truth or falsity of these conjectures. There are many fields of mathematics, some of which are widely used for practical applications.
Teach the content of an upcoming lesson in advance to an individual or a small group of students with learning difficulties, explaining the core issues and using repetition with the goal of improving their learning.
Assist students showing great academic promise or with an unusually high IQ with their learning processes and challenges. Set up an individual learning plan catered to their needs.
Set up joined and individual meetings with students' parents to discuss their child's academic progress and general well-being.
The study of human behaviour and performance with respect to various school processes, the learning needs of young individuals, and the psychological tests accompanying this field of study.
Instruct students in the theory and practice of quantities, structures, shapes, patterns, and geometry.
The inner workings of a primary school, such as the structure of the relevant education support and management, the policies, and the regulations.
Provide assistance to students when working with (technical) equipment used in practice-based lessons and solve operational problems when necessary.
Identify the necessary resources needed for learning purposes, such as materials in class or arranged transportation for a field trip. Apply for the corresponding budget and follow up on the orders.
The techniques used to teach students a foreign language, such as audio-lingual, communicative language teaching (CLT), and immersion.
The often emotionally disruptive types of behaviour a child or adult can show, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).
Assist teachers in classroom instruction by providing and preparing lesson materials, monitoring the students during their work and helping them in their learning where necessary.
The cooperation between people characterised by a unified commitment to achieving a given goal, participating equally, maintaining open communication, facilitating effective usage of ideas etc.
Keep track of the pupils who are absent by recording their names on a list of absentees.
Instruct students in the theory and practice of a language. Use a wide range of teaching and learning techniques to promote proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in that language.
Observe students' recreational activities to ensure student safety and well-being and intervene when necessary.
Incorporate the use of online learning environments and platforms into the process of instruction.
Assist children with special needs, identifying their needs, modifying classroom equipment to accommodate them and helping them participate in school activities.
The rules concerning the way words are spelled.
The inner workings of a secondary school, such as the structure of the relevant education support and management, the policies, and the regulations.
The set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language.
Supervise and potentially organise educational or recreational activities for the students outside of mandatory classes.
The teaching methods, equipment and settings used to support students with special needs in achieving succes in school or community.
Inform children`s parents of the activities planned, program`s expectations and children`s individual progress.
Provide assistance to students with educational, career-related or personal issues such as course selection, school adjustment en social integration, career exploration and planning, and family problems.