Preparing for support sessions with your learner

• start with an introductory call to chat about what they want to learn and if they have any accessibility requirements

• book sessions in advance so your learner has time to get comfortable and charge their device

• keep sessions to around half an hour so the learner does not become overwhelmed

• practice with a colleague or friend in advance

To make remote support easier for you, we’ve got iPad quick start guide, and a Chromebook quick start guide . They’ll help you support your learner, and help you talk through setting up the device.

During the session

When you’re in the session:

• be kind, empathetic and open. It's a learning journey for both of you

• don’t say ‘you should see…’ because if they don’t see what you mean, they’ll think they’ve done it wrong

• ask them to describe what they see on their screen

• don’t use jargon. For example, ‘go to the home-screen’. Instead, explain what the home-screen is and how to navigate to it.

• talk them through how to put their phone on speaker, if it has that function. This means they can focus on using their device

• once they’ve built up some confidence, you could introduce ‘screensharing’ on video-calling platforms like Zoom or Team-Viewer. This will help you talk through more complex tasks on the same screen. You should show your screen and not request access to your learners screen

Supporting your learner

• if you don’t know something, tell them you don’t know and talk them through how you would work out how to do it. This will reassure them that no-one knows how to do everything

• start with the Foundation Digital Skills and simple tasks to build your learner’s confidence

• signpost your learner to video content between sessions and set ‘homework’ tasks

• make a plan for your next call, based on what your learner wants to do. This gives you some time to prepare

Both Google and Apple have helpful guides for the Chromebook and iPad. They include step-by-step instructions on how to do different tasks:

• Chromebook Help
• iPad User Guide (click on ‘Table of Contents’)