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Teaching Assistants To Support Students Essay

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Research shows that TA’s are heavily relied on by teachers for supporting the needs of SEN students. The role of the TA has evolved from being seen as a “helper” in the classroom to being viewed more as a professional because there has been an increase in responsibility given to TA’s in many aspects but particularly in regards to supporting SEN students. (Woods, Hammersley-Fletcher, and Cole, 2009). In fact, the “Professional Standards for Teaching Assistants” (2016) states that teaching assistants are expected to utilise relevant intervention strategies to support teachers and to help ensure the academic progression of all students including those with SEN (NAHT et al. 2016). Moreover, studies show that teachers assign TA’s to work with SEN students to ensure the needs of the student are met and to alleviate themselves of the stress and workload of routine tasks (Webster et al., 2010). …show more content…

Regarding supporting SEN students, the Schlapp et al. (2003) study also shows that TA’s help SEN students by providing eclectic learning experiences and developing their self-esteem, motivation, and confidence. As a result, TA’s have a significant influence on the academic achievements of SEN students (Lee, 2002; Butt and Lance, 2005), with some stating that it is perhaps the most important component that enables SEN students to continue attending mainstream schools (Clarke, Dyson, Millward &

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