The primary objective of a teaching assistant is to support the school by carrying out a variety of tasks in order to create and maintain a safe, positive learning environment thus allowing teachers more time to focus on teaching. It is therefore paramount to remain flexible at all times. The purpose of this essay is to summarise the major learning points from the Teaching Assistant Diploma Course. I will address the nine subject areas separately.
Supporting the teacher - Teachers are incredibly busy and the teaching assistant is a valued asset to ensure that under the guidance and supervision of the teacher the classroom is organised and maintained.
The ways in which this can be done is by preparing and maintaining the learning
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Unlike physical development that is visual, a child’s social and emotional development is also generalised according to age but can’t be seen. Every child is unique and for that reason although general milestones can be used as a guide to expectation, it must be remembered that each child will develop at his/ her own pace.
The brain development of a child can be seriously affected by their well being during the early years. Genetic illness, social/ economic factors, culture and influence of carers, stress and harm caused by lack of stimulation, engagement and positive relationships can all influence development.
Signs such as behavioural problems, low self-esteem, apprehension, lack of concentration and attention seeking could all be signs of emotional distress. In order to support the pupil, teaching assistants need to have strategies to cope with pupils displaying such symptoms. Schools need to provide a safe, positive, supporting environment with equal emphasis on pastoral care as much as academics.
Pupils should be encouraged to strive for independence and take responsibility for their actions and learning. This may be through input into rules, choices regarding behaviour, or identification of success criteria and evaluation of learning.
The classroom provides opportunity for self-expression in a variety of curriculum areas. The teaching assistant should support
Teaching Assistants support classroom management and assist with general administration. They help manage pupil behaviour and support pupils’ health, safety and emotional/social development. Teaching assistants establish relationships with learners and help pupils to access the curriculum. They support the development and effectiveness of work teams, work with other professionals and liaise effectively with parents.
Higher level teaching assistants (HLTAS) have a variety of training requirements to adhere to for example numerical and literacy skills up to NVQ level 2 which ensures that they are able and confident in what they are teaching. HLTAS should also have a broad knowledge of learning strategies from independent to group within the curriculum to allow a pupil to fulfil their potential. HLTAS should also have a solid knowledge of the curriculum along with skills in curriculum development and delivery this is to allow HLTAS to be able to teach to a high standard and be aware of what a pupil needs to do to get them to move up a sub level or level in different
A teaching assistant can have discussions with the teacher after obtaining a copy of the prepared lesson plan. Some time may need to be set aside for these discussions to take place, such as break or lunch times. These lesson plans are usually prepared in advance, the teaching assistant can provide support by doing their own prep work or helping out with task resources.
Schools employ and have teaching assistants, to again, create the best possible learning environment for the pupils. As a teaching assistant I will work as part of a team working to make the pupils learning journey, a successful one. I will attend staff meetings and continue to develop my skills through in-house training and other relevant courses. I will maintain and contribute to school policies and procedures, and work in partnership with parents and carers on behalf of the school.
A teaching assistant plays an important role for the standards of behaviour expected in the classroom.
All children and young people develop at different rates, but the order which they advance in differs very little. Children’s development tends to progress from head to toe, inner to outer, from simple to complex and from general to specific.
The teacher's role is to plan lessons, direct and assess pupils learning. The role of the teaching assistant is to support the teacher in planning, delivering and evaluating learning activities and also, under the teacher's direction to give support to the class, whether it is the whole class, small groups or individuals.
Although the class teacher is primarily responsible to plan, deliver and review all learning activities for the class, a teaching assistant can work alongside the teacher and make contributions that can improve the teachers plan, alter the delivery to make it more effective for pupil attainment and extend the teachers initial review. “Planning, teaching and evaluation follow a cycle which gives structure to the learning process” (Baker, B., Burnham, L., 2010) and is vital in my role as a teaching assistant. I aim to describe how I aide the teacher to plan and deliver lessons and how I give feedback to the teacher about individual pupils, in order for the teacher make improvements in her planning and to be able to target individual
The guide below explains what you might expect from the development of the child through various ages:
My role as a teaching assistant is to take on tasks such as preparing the classroom for lessons and clearing up afterwards, which allow the teacher to concentrate on teaching. To support pupils with particular individual needs, sometimes my role is to work one to one, while others work in small groups or work with one of these groups. The teacher is not able to give every pupil individual attention, assistants provide essential support to the pupils and the lead teacher. My responsibilities also include:
A child’s development can be measured through physical and language milestones, intellectual, emotional and social development.
As a teaching assistant/learning mentor, you are able to take more time with students to enable effective communication, whether this is one on one support or a small group. The students will benefit from this as they have been able to understand more comprehensively the task at hand, however if they do struggle with anything we can take the extra time with them to give them guidance which will help the student fulfil their learning potential.
The class teachers’ main role is to monitor and assess pupils’ achievement. They need to be aware of the progression made by all the children in their class and be able to report back to both the parents and other staff. As a Teaching assistant my main role is to support the class teacher whilst this ongoing assessment of pupils takes place. The teacher can measure the progress of each pupil by carrying out lessons and setting the children clear objectives. At the start of each lesson so that the children are clear about the objectives the class teacher writes
A driving objective for a teacher is to affect students to advance their expertise in education by finding them the correct course. The teacher should promote positive motivation and inspiration by adhering to legislation and codes of practice which will increase every student’s focus in developing and bridging gaps to display eagerness towards a healthy broad mindset, creative thinking and brighter approach. A mentor should coordinate assessments which will reinforce the ability to perceive individuals’ abilities and knowledge progressions and moreover support them further to boost their learning capacity to acquire a well-established national standards skill set.
Prior to being a learning assistant, I didn’t have a full understanding of what being a teacher meant. Like others, I had the misconception that a teacher is a person older than you, wiser than you and with the authority to teach you what you need to know, in terms of academics. I never really saw myself as a teacher. I have done tutoring before, but I also lacked the understanding of what facilitated learning meant. As I reflect back on my experience as a learning assistant, I realize that teaching doesn’t have to follow the traditional way where an adult teaches a student. Anyone can teach regardless of age. However, the ability to effectively teach is a different matter. Teaching is like an art. Realistically, not everyone is born a good teacher. One must know how to teach effectively, but most importantly, teaching others in a way that is enjoyable. It is because of this that I would like to address what creates effective teaching and the levels that constitute a solid and beneficial teaching environment.