What is Systematic Instruction Training?
Training in Systematic Instruction (TSI) is a way to teach people who find traditional learning difficult, including people with learning disabilities and autism. The TSI course teaches staff the skills needed to help people learn in ways that work best for them.
Beki, who works in our Persona Employment Pathways service, went on a training course that teaches support staff the skills they need to support people with learning disabilities and autism in a way that is right for them. She's tells us what she's learnt and how the training will help her in her role.
What were you expecting from the training before it started?
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I'd heard good things from colleagues who had already done the course. I was hoping the training would help me better support people on skills placements at The Green and improve how I work overall.
What did you hope it would help you achieve in your job?
I hoped it would boost my confidence when supporting people through the Unit Award Scheme modules and give me a more effective approach.
What do you find difficult about your job that you hoped this training would support you with?
I find it hard to deliver the Unit Award Scheme modules in different and interesting ways. I often struggled to think of alternative teaching methods, so I hoped it would give broaden my toolkit and help me adapt to different learning styles.
Do you think the training will help you to do what you expected?
Yes, absolutely. The training has significantly enhanced how I think about teaching and supporting learning at The Green. I’ve already started implementing some of the strategies we were shown, I now encourage people we support to reflect on their own work instead of looking to staff for praise. When someone asks if they’ve done a good job, I now ask them what they think, This helps build confidence, independence, and a sense of personal achievement.
What have you learnt?
I've learnt how important it is to have a quiet, set training time without distractions. I also learnt to only give the information needed for the task and to offer the right level of support, no more and no less.
I now understand how important it is to have a paper trail to track people's progress. I will now be using the form given in training to track how independently someone completes a task and what guidance they needed e.g. verbal prompts, demonstrations, etc. I think this will be really helpful for both me and the people I support.
What was the highlight of the training for you?
Watching the trainers demonstrate the techniques and then having a chance to practise them with their support and feedback. Also seeing it work in real time, especially when people we support used self feedback after tasks, such as the bike brake activity.
Did anything about the training surprise you?
I was surprised to learn how external feedback can reduce a sense of personal achievement, even when meant kindly. I didn't realise saying "well done" could do this, and it's really shifted my perspective.
What did you think about the people we support being involved in the training?
I really enjoyed seeing people we support get involved. They helped us bring everything to life, which helped the trainers to give us feedback. They also helped me to understand how I can keep improving my approach going forward.
They added so much value to the experience, and it was great to see them paid for their time.
Click here to read what others thought about the training.
