Episode #8 - Using a Learning Support Specialist with Fiona Lowes

Date Released: September 15, 2021

Fiona Lowes is the Learning Support Specialist at Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association. She supports struggling English Language Learners enrolled in LINC and ESL programs both at CIWA and in the Calgary area. She provides learning strategies to students, teaching strategies to teachers and will refer students to CIWA and external services should they need additional support. She enjoys working with a wide variety of abilities and loves the diversity of her job.

She moved to Calgary from London, England in 2014. Before transitioning to the world of adult ESL, Fiona was an elementary school teacher for ten years. She holds a BA in Spanish, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, and a Masters Certificate in Languages and Diversity. She loves spending time in the great outdoors, dabbling in art and walking her Cardigan Corgi called Betty.

Created by the Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES

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Music Credits: “Storybook” by Scott Holmes Music (Creative Commons Licence CC-A-NC)

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
02:38 Transferable skills from experience teaching primary school
04:05 The importance of proper pace and repetition
04:38 Types of clients Fiona works with and supports she provides
06:36 Common gaps seen in clients (including organizational and time management skills)
08:58 What a typical session looks like
11:45 How assessment is undertaken and what is assessed
13:13 Example activities and interventions
16:44 Using hand-strengthening exercises for fine motor skill development
17:30 Example supports provided to instructors
21:34 Why do you do what you do?

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