Teach One Person (TOP)

Learning Mentor

Frequently Asked Questions

Your qualification	TOP pathway
Psychology Post-graduate	TOP Educational Psychology Consultant
B.Ed.	TOP Educational Learning Consultant
Graduate	TOP Learning Mentor

This FAQ applies specifically to the TOP Learning Mentor pathway. The scope and responsibilities of the Educational Learning Consultant and the Educational Psychology Consultant differ.

👉 Refer here for FAQs FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Helping Educational Institutions Support Students While Creating Professional Opportunities for Graduates

Teach One Person (TOP) is a professional model developed from extensive experience in providing learning services to educational institutions.

The objective is simple:

Identify what is preventing a student from learning effectively, provide an appropriate solution, and help the student become more independent.

TOP Learning Mentors are trained to identify academic and study difficulties using the SASD-20, understand the student's learning needs, select appropriate interventions from the 59 Secrets to Studying, work individually with students, monitor progress, and recognize situations requiring referral.

TOP is designed to address academic and study difficulties. It is not intended to replace clinical psychology, psychiatry, medical care, counselling, safeguarding services, or other specialized professional services.

1. What is Teach One Person (TOP)?

TOP is a structured student-support model through which a trained TOP Learning Mentor works individually with students to identify and address difficulties affecting their learning and academic performance.

The emphasis is not simply on teaching more content.

The emphasis is on asking:

"What is preventing this student from learning effectively?"

Once the difficulty is identified, the mentor selects an appropriate intervention and helps the student practice it.

2. Why would a school or college need TOP?

Educational institutions often have students who struggle with:

concentration
memory
reading
understanding
study methods
repeated mistakes
examination performance
organization
effective practice
other academic and study difficulties

A school may not have the resources or need to employ a specialist or a professional for this purpose.

TOP provides an alternative: access to a trained person who can provide structured, individual student support.

3. Is TOP a replacement for a school psychologist or counsellor?

No.

A TOP Learning Mentor is a qualified educational professional who has undergone TOP training.

TOP training does not confer a Psychology qualification, counselling qualification, clinical qualification or any regulated professional title.

The mentor must represent their qualifications accurately and work within the scope of their educational role.

TOP is designed specifically around academic and study difficulties.

It should complement, not replace, existing school counselling, psychological, medical, safeguarding or mental-health services.

When a student's concerns fall outside the scope of TOP, the mentor should recommend or initiate appropriate referral according to the institution's procedures.

4. What kinds of student problems can a TOP Learning Mentor address?

Examples include:

"I study but cannot remember."
"I cannot concentrate."
"I read very slowly."
"I have to read the same thing repeatedly."
"I understand it today but forget it later."
"I keep making the same mistakes."
"I don't know how to study effectively."
"I cannot understand difficult topics."
"I don't know how to practice."
"I study for long periods but achieve little."

The exact intervention depends on the individual student's difficulty.

5. How does a TOP Learning Mentor identify a student's difficulty?

The consultant uses the SASD-20-LM -- Student Academic & Study Difficulty Screener, Learning Mentor Edition as a structured starting point for identifying areas of academic and study difficulty.

The SASD-20 covers four broad areas:

Reading & Understanding
Study Methods
Attention & Study Management
Examination & Performance

The screener helps identify areas that require further professional exploration. It is not, by itself, a diagnosis.

The screener is used to guide discussion and educational intervention. It is not a diagnostic test for psychological or psychiatric disorders.

6. What happens after the SASD-20-LM?

The Mentor does not simply look at the score and prescribe a solution.

The process is:

Screen → Understand → Identify the difficulty → Select an intervention → Practice → Follow up

The Mentor considers the student's responses together with discussion, observation, and educational context.

Eligibility

7. Who can become a TOP Learning Mentor?

Initially, TOP Learning Mentors are intended for graduates from any discipline who are interested in helping students improve their study and learning skills.

8. Do I need to be a teacher?

No.

9. Do I need a Psychology qualification?

No.

10. Do I need previous experience working with students?

Not necessarily.

11. How is my educational qualification verified?

Applicants will be required to provide proof of their Degree qualification.

What Will I Learn?

12. What training does TOP provide?

The TOP training will introduce the consultant to:

the philosophy and principles of TOP
the SASD-20-LM
interpretation and professional use of the screener
the 59 Secrets to Studying
one-to-one student intervention
follow-up and outcome monitoring
professional boundaries
referral and escalation procedures
working with educational institutions

The aim is not simply to teach information, but to develop practical competence.

13. What is SASD-20-LM?

It is the Student Academic & Study Difficulty Screener -- Learning Mentor Edition and is used to identify areas of study difficulty, in terms of four areas as mentioned above.

14. Do I need to know Psychology to use SASD-20-LM?

No. The Learning Mentor receives training in its defined educational use.

15. What are the 59 Secrets to Studying?

The 59 Secrets to Studying are a collection of practical learning and study principles addressing problems such as reading, understanding, memory, concentration, practice, errors, speed, and examination performance.

The mentor does not necessarily use all 59 Secrets with every student.

One student does not need 59 Secrets.

The appropriate Secret is selected according to the student's particular difficulty.

16. Will I use all 59 Secrets with every student?

No. The objective is to identify the student's particular difficulty and select an appropriate intervention.

17. How do I decide which Secret to use?

This is where the training will be given, where each difficulty identified in the SASD-20-LM is linked to a few 59 Secrets interventions.

Working With Students

18. How does a TOP Learning Mentor work with a student?

The process is:

Screen → Understand → Select → Teach → Practixe → Review → Follow Up

19. Do I teach the student's school/college subjects?

No. The Learning Mentor primarily addresses how the student studies and learns, rather than providing subject tuition.

20. Can I work with students individually?

Yes, within the defined TOP scope.

21. Can I work with groups of students?

No. Teach One Person is intended for individual intervention.

22. How long should I work with a student?

There is no prescribed fixed number of sessions. The duration depends on the student's identified difficulty, intervention, and progress.

23. How do I know whether the intervention is working?

The mentor should establish an appropriate baseline, identify the specific difficulty, apply the intervention, and review the student's progress.

The focus is therefore not merely:

"Did the student attend the session?"

but:

"Did the student's identified difficulty change?"

The mentor should document the intervention and follow-up appropriately.

Professional Boundaries

This section is particularly prominent for Learning Mentors.

24. Am I a psychologist after completing TOP training?

No.

25. Can I provide counselling?

No, not by virtue of TOP training.

26. Can I diagnose a student's psychological or mental-health condition?

No.

27. Can I administer psychological tests?

TOP training does not authorize the Learning Mentor to administer or interpret psychological tests outside their existing qualifications and applicable requirements.

28. What if a student tells me about a serious personal or emotional problem?

The Learning Mentor should not attempt to investigate or treat it. They should recognize the concern and follow the appropriate referral/safeguarding pathway.

29. What if I think a student's difficulty is more than a study problem?

Recognize → Stop → Refer

This should become a standard TOP principle.

30. What if a student has both a study problem and another serious difficulty?

The Learning Mentor may continue appropriate study support only when it is within scope and does not interfere with the necessary referral or professional intervention.

Becoming a Professional Learning Mentor

31. Does TOP employ Learning Mentors?

No. The model is designed around independent professional service.

32. How can I work with educational institutions?

The Learning Mentor can approach schools, colleges, coaching institutions and other educational organizations.

33. How can I charge for my services?

You can offer services on an agreed hourly or monthly-retainer basis, subject to the institution's agreement and applicable requirements.

34. Does TOP take a percentage of my income?

No. You retain 100% of your professional income.

35. Does TOP guarantee that I will get schools or students?

No.

TOP provides the framework, training and tools; developing institutional relationships is the mentor's responsibility.

36. Is TOP a franchise?

No.

You are not purchasing a franchise or paying a percentage of your earnings to TOP.

The Gurukula Model

37. Why does TOP use the Gurukula approach?

TOP adopts:

Learn → Practice → Demonstrate → Serve → Prosper → Give Back

38. Is TOP training free?

There is no mandatory training fee for participating in the TOP Gurukula.

39. What is Guru Kanike?

Guru Kanike is a voluntary expression of gratitude from a mentor who, after learning and becoming successful, wishes to offer something back.

It is:

not a training fee
not a commission
not a condition for becoming a TOP Mentor
not a percentage of professional income

A consultant may choose whether and how to express gratitude.

Guru Kanike may take the form of a financial offering, service to another student, helping another graduate learn, adopting a government school/college, or another meaningful contribution.

40. Is Guru Kanike compulsory?

No.

It is not a fee, commission, royalty or condition of becoming a TOP Learning Mentor.

Application & Training

41. How do I apply?

Apply through the TOP Learning Mentor Expression of Interest Form.

42. What happens after I submit the form?

Application → Eligibility verification → Orientation → Training → Practice → Demonstration of competence → TOP Learning Mentor

43. How will I know whether I have successfully completed the training?

You will have to complete mentoring five cases under supervision.

44. Will I receive a certificate?

Yes.

45. Does TOP training qualify me to practice Psychology?

No.

TOP training does not confer a Psychology qualification or authorize the holder to represent themselves as a psychologist or practice any regulated profession for which they are not otherwise qualified.

The Philosophy

46. Why should a graduate become a TOP Learning Mentor?

Because every graduate has learned something about learning through their own educational journey, and TOP gives them a structured way to help another student learn more effectively.

47. What is the ultimate purpose of TOP?

To help students overcome difficulties in learning and to create meaningful professional opportunities for people who are willing to learn how to help them.

And finally:

What is the TOP philosophy?

Don't simply tell a student to study harder.
Find out what is making study difficult.
Teach the appropriate skill.
Help the student practice it.
See whether it works.
And know when to ask another professional for help.