The five Ps of LD: ‘Using formulation in learning development work for a student-centred approach to ‘study skills

This paper addresses a key area of LD practice: offering one-to-one support to students, in the form of one-shot consultations. The author identifies latent deficit assumptions that impede us in translating the LD emancipatory principles to the practice of tutorials, and provides a model grounded in formulation theory: the 5 Ps of LD. The model highlights elements of practice like the language we use (pathologising or empowering?) and the roles we assume (hierarchical or equalising?), and supports a flexible and dialogic process for student-centred tutorials. LD practitioners can use this model to reflect on, theorise, and systematise one-to-one support practice.