Support Staff and Teachers

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.

Question 3, Comment on the role of the teaching assistant whilst supporting the planning and evaluation of learning activities

During the lesson the teaching assistant should assist and be a role model for the children and throughout the lesson the teaching assistant should do what the teacher asks and requires.

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:

What does a Teaching Assistant (TA) do? there are many variations to this role making this not a straight forward question to answer. There are class teaching assistants, Special Educational Needs (SEN) teaching assistants, specialist subject teaching assistants, Higher Level teaching assistants (HLTA’s) to name a few. The job role will differ from school to school as TA’s are present in schools from Early Years classrooms through to senior and upper schools, making the role of a TA an extremely diverse and varied one.

I also must check the pupils work, if necessary help them to catch up, encourage them to correct their own mistakes and provide them with support to learn independently. In order to do that I must develop a positive working relationship with the pupils. That can be achieved by listening to them, gaining their trust and confidence, always respecting and valuing them, knowing that children must be safe at all times.

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.

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

In the role of a teaching assistant, you will be contributing to planning, delivery and reviewing of learning activities alongside teachers. When planning takes place there should be some opportunity to discuss and review pupils’ work with teachers. Panning, teaching and reviewing follow a cycle which gives structure to the learning process.

My own role and responsibilities as an assistant is to work under the instruction and guidance of the teaching and senior staff. Usually within the classroom with the class teacher, supporting learning for the pupils and providing general support to the teacher in the management of the pupils and the classroom.

A teaching assistant will be able to deal with many situations where a pupil requires a reprimand or sanction of some description for their actions and behaviour. For example, minor conflicts between pupils, not listening to instructions, talking in class or poor manners.

This stage speaks for itself. You do the lesson! A teacher will put their plan into action and must be prepared

As proposed by Dymoke and Harrison, good lesson planning is essential to successful teaching in so far as stating, `It is often the case that poor teaching, classroom management and behaviour stem from lack of explicit planning` (2008, p.122) It is suggested then, that thorough planning is fundamental to the successful learning of pupils in many ways. Whilst allowing the teacher to follow a process of thinking, providing a mental practice session if you like, the act of planning therefore becomes an imperative aid for both student and teacher.

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.

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.