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Ncfe Teaching Assistant Essay

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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 …show more content…

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

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