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See also...
Overview
The goal of any (student) support is to reduce the need for support, that is,
The provision of support is a response to what is happening
The aim of support is to improve what is happening
The ideal support strategy is to make it easier for the next person in the support process
This will help ensure everyone's success and well-being
And this reduces the need for support (the goal of student support)
Support is successful the the extent that it enables people to manage their own success and well-being
Practices
The support cycle is a continuous improvement / action learning cycle driven by the everyday actions that are carried out the by the people involved. These everyday actions develop patterns over time and become part of practices. Regardless of whether they are aware of it or not, schools and their staff members use (or would like to use) particular practices to provide support. The Support Planner has been developed by
- identifying and clarifying successful or desirable practices, and then
- matching the information tools (database, website, discussion list, workshops...) to these practices
- creating structures and processes within the Planner that will encourage and prompt successful and desirable practices
Levels of response
Each school responds to its students' needs for support at various levels. A tentative framework for reviewing and developing the school's capacity to respond is currently under development.
Information Tools
Tools mediate human activity. In this context the tools assist in the provision of support because the tools make it easier for users to...
- know what is happening (by gathering and organising data)
- work together to improve what is happening (by scheduling actions)
- make it easier for the next person in the process (by keeping the next person informed)
