Practical Tips for Teaching Assistants

Susan Bentham, Roger Hutchins

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2006
• ISBN:
  9781134257003
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Didattica
• Subtopic: Didattica generale

Packed full of practical suggestions, tips, advice and up-to-date factual information, this book provides a trouble-shooting guide to help teaching assistants deal with a wide variety of classroom situations. Issues and dilemmas confronted in the book include:

• who's who in the school
• self esteem
• how to use individual learning styles to support students and those with special needs
• dealing with unacceptable behaviour
• coping with the job and personal development.

Whether read from cover to cover or used as a quick reference tool for looking up specific concerns, this is an essential book for all teaching assistants in primary, secondary and special needs schools, those starting out, and teaching assistants enrolled on training programmes such as NVQ 2, NVQ 3 and the higher level teaching assistant's award.

1 Getting started

Finding your way around – induction to the school

Ask to be shown around

Every school is different. However familiar you feel you are with the school already, there will always be something to discover.

One of the first things to do in a new post is to ask to be shown around every part of the school. Get to see everything – each classroom, every spare room, the resource area, ICT (Information and Communication Technology) area, playground, fire exits – the lot. Also, find out where the office is, where the resources are kept, where the first aid equipment is, where the fire extinguishers are. Who knows what you will need to know or what you could be asked about in the days to come?

Teaching assistants (TAs) are often regarded as the fount of all knowledge. Along with the administration staff and the caretaker, it is assumed by many that they know where anything and everything is in the school. This, of course, is often the case, but it cannot be taken for granted. It is all too easy to be taken up with the particular pupils, class or year group with which you will be working, so it is useful to gain the ‘big picture’ of the school early on in your career.

Find out about relevant resources

Of special importance in the induction process are the resources you can use when working with pupils. You need to be shown what resources are available, what they are to be used for, how they are to be used and where they are kept. Resources for children are to be seen as a toolkit, with specific tools being used for specific jobs, but if you are unaware of them, you will not be able to choose the most appropriate tools. There is nothing more frustrating than preparing loads of resources for a particular pupil or group of pupils, only to find out later that those resources already existed. Beware of reinventing the wheel.

The induction process

Ideally, an induction process should take place within the first week or two of taking on the job. Starting right reduces pressures and tensions. A thorough induction to the school, although it takes time, contributes to maintaining sanity.

An induction process in school should involve a meeting with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) about special educational needs (SEN) in the school in general. Many TAs find it helpful to know something about the background to the work they are going to do. This gives a sense of perspective and reason to it all. Do not, however, expect to remember everything you get told. There is too much to take in, in one go.

You should be shown the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (Department for Education and Employment (DfEE), 2001). You should also be told about Individual Education Plans (IEPs) (see page, page, page): how they are written, what use is made of them in school, how often they are reviewed and who is involved in that review process.

Induction is important because, once you are full-swing in your job, it is all too easy to assume knowledge. Remember, assumption is the mother of all foul-ups.

‘Who’s my boss?’ – line managers and school hierarchies

Every school is different in its organisation and hierarchies. Part of the induction should include how your particular school operates. There are, however, some general principles to which every school should adhere.

Board of governors

Legally speaking, the group of people with ultimate responsibility for what happens in the school is the board of governors. These are volunteers who oversee every aspect of school life and act as ‘critical friends’ to the school.

Who is the line manager for the TA?

Ultimately this is the head teacher. The Code of Practice describes the head teacher as having responsibility for the overall management of special needs, and this includes staff employed to help meet those needs. Working with the head teacher is the school’s SENCO, who has responsibility for the day-to-day ‘operation’ of the special needs provision in the school. The line manager for TAs is therefore likely to be the SENCO. Within secondary schools a number of people may share this role, such as heads of year or heads of departments. TAs in these situations are organised to support pupils either within year groups or within subject areas.

However, TAs usually work in classes, and, within the class, the class teacher has the responsibility for what happens. Day to day, then, the immediate managers of the TAs are the class teachers within whose classes they work.

Communication is the key

Are you confused yet? If you are, you are in good company. The potential for confusion exists in every school. You can easily find yourself being told three different things by three different people, all of whom have good ideas and have both the interests of the pupils and your interests at heart. The end result may be that you do not know whether you should be doing spelling, reading, handwriting or flying to the moon with the group of children you have been asked to work with for the next half-hour.

The answer is – it’s all down to teamwork. No one person or even group of people can make a school function smoothly and provide an environment where each child can learn. It is everybody mucking in together, talking to one another, sharing ideas and resolving issues.

One key is communication. Another key is having a good attitude. Nobody is perfect. No system is perfect. Problems will inevitably arise. A problem-solving rather than a problem-raising mentality is crucial to a well-functioning school.

However, if you do find yourself in the midst of confusion, or even conflict, you must not sit on it, trying to work it out yourself. Talk to someone about it – the class teacher, the SENCO, the head teacher, other TAs.

Who has responsibility for TAs and for what they do is a whole-school issue, and one which must be addressed by the whole school under the leadership of the senior management and the head teacher.

Personnel list – who’s who in school and where they can be found

Ask for a copy of the staff handbook

When you start work, ask for a list of personnel in the school. It is worth finding out not only the names of every staff member in the school, but also their roles and responsibilities. Many schools produce a staff handbook, which is an excellent means of communicating simply and efficiently ‘who’s who’ in the school.

You need to know who is the staff member through whom contacts with external agencies are made. This will usually be the head teacher, deputy head or the SENCO – or any combination of the three.

You need to know all this because one day you might need to talk to them about pupils with whom you are working. Although your first port of call will always be the class teacher, it is important for you to be able to discuss areas of concern or to ask questions of those members of staff with specific responsibilities for particular areas.

The personnel list should include information about who knows about reprographic equipment and ICT in the school. Different schools employ different procedures for the use of photocopiers, laminators, digital cameras and the like. As you are likely to be asked to photocopy resources, find out how your school operates before you either make too much work for yourself or find yourself treading on somebody else’s toes.

It is also worth finding out about the roles of the administration staff. Which person, for instance, deals with dinner money, which with first aid and accidents, which with letters home, and so on? At some stage you may be asked to deal with this sort of thing, and you need to know where to go for help.

If you want to use a computer with an individual child and there is something wrong with it, to whom do you go? If you have found this out beforehand, it saves a bit of stress.

All this is designed to make your job easier. It may be a lot of information to take onboard all in one go, which is why having things written down helps. You do not have to remember everything if you have policies and procedures to hand to which you can refer.

‘All pencil sharpening and cleaning paint brushes?’ – your role as a TA

Ask for a job description

Much confusion can be saved by referral to an accurate and current job description. It should be part of the professional status of TAs. If there is no clear job description, things can get hazy and, again, assumptions can lead to misunderstandings and even conflict.

In many people’s minds there is still the sense that TAs are little more than a ‘mum’s army’, present in the classroom to sharpen pencils and clean paint brushes. Whilst this may be what you do sometimes (after all, in certain year groups both are needful occupations), it is not the sum total of your responsibilities.

As a TA, you are a professional member of a professional team. Together with the class teacher, you are there to create an environment where children learn and develop to their fullest potential. Stephanie Lorenz describes the TA as a ‘Bridge-Builder’ between the pupil and the curriculum (Lorenz, 2002, p. 96). You are not there simply to do practical things to keep the classroom ticking over whilst the class teacher gets on with the real job.

By definition, and certainly by practice, TAs teach. They may not necessarily teach the whole class and they certainly do not have the responsibility to decide what should be taught or how it should be taught. But TAs share with the class teacher the delivery of the curriculum to the children in their care.

Find out what is expected of you

The job description should specify the role of the TA in quite some detail. ‘Generally helping in the classroom’ is not a good description of what is expected of a TA. If the job description you have been given reads something like that, question it. Ask what will be specifically required of you.

Many schools specify the role of TAs in their SEN or inclusion policies along these sorts of lines: TAs will effectively support children by:

• Explaining and clarifying instructions.
• Motivating and encouraging the children.
• Ensuring children have access to and are able to use materials needed to complete tasks.
• Meeting any necessary physical needs (e.g. checking hearing aids) whilst promoting independence.
• Establishing caring and supportive relationships with the children.
• Developing methods of promoting children’s self-esteem.
• Encouraging pupils’ participation in their own assessment and target setting.
• Assisting in the delivery of the curriculum and specific programmes of study.
• Teaching individuals and/or small groups as appropriate.

Teaching assistants are an essential part of education today. Most agree that without them, the national agenda of inclusion would not happen. Whilst this remains to be reflected in conditions of service, pay and career structure, TAs are increasingly being recognised as a profession in their own right. They are not ‘budding teachers’, although many might be very capable as teachers and may want to pursue this as a career. They are certainly not a ‘mum’s army’. They are TAs with a role and a professionalism which are theirs alone.

Liaison between TAs

Find out about mentoring systems

One of your most important sources of information will be the other TAs. Some schools operate a ‘mentoring’ system whereby newly appointed TAs are nurtured in their new roles by a more experienced TA. Whether there is an official mentoring system in place or not, ask other TAs regarding anything you are unsure about.

Many TAs are asked to work with specific children using particular programmes of support. At first sight, these programmes may appear quite daunting. Often other TAs who have used them in the past or are currently using them are the best people to help you. It is most helpful not only to talk about the programme with someone experienced in its use, but also to watch them in action.

‘Job shadowing’ in this way during the first week or so of being appointed to the post can be one of the easiest and most profitable sources of training for the new TA. Remember, everybody started the same way. All had to learn somehow and most learning takes place ‘on the job’.

The value of team meetings

Many schools hold regular meetings between the SENCO and TAs. Although this cuts into the school day, such team meetings can be a useful forum for liaison between TAs. The meetings should certainly be more than an opportunity for giving out notices. Team meetings provide an opportunity for sharing concerns and successes. New programmes can be introduced. TAs familiar with certain programmes can show them to the others. Specific programmes can be placed in the context of whole-school learning. It is very important for each TA to see how they ‘fit’ into the larger scheme of things.

Team meetings can also be an opportunity for TAs to discuss situations they are finding difficult. This is not at all the same thing as a general moaning session. It is rather a space in the school week to seek to solve problems together. But, before problems can be solved, they must be aired. It is often the case that what one TA is finding difficult, others are too, and by raising it the TA no longer feels isolated.

‘On a wing and a prayer’ – planning time for the TA and the class teacher

Find out about planning time

Most educationalists recognise the need for adequate planning time between TAs and class teachers so that they can work together effectively as a partnership. They can consider how to adapt resources to meet the needs of particular children and agree how each of them will support those pupils. This time is also useful for reviewing existing provision, particularly with regard to assessing the effectiveness of any intervention strategies being employed (see page).

However, a common complaint heard from both TAs and teachers alike is the little time available to plan and talk through issues together. Often any discussion between teachers and TAs has to be snatched between lessons or at break times. In many schools it really is a matter of ‘on a wing or a prayer’, or, alternatively, ‘flying by the seat of your pants’. For TAs, not knowing what is coming up in a lesson, and especially not knowing beforehand what they will be expected to do, can be stressful. ‘On a wing and a prayer’ can be exciting for persons of a certain disposition, but for most of us it is disconcerting. This pressure can be especially difficult in secondary schools, where both teachers and TAs are hurrying from one lesson to another with little or no time to discuss pupils or planning beforehand.

One reason why planning time is at such a premium is the fact that TAs are commonly paid only for contact time with the children. This means that any planning outside of that is in their own time. As they get paid so little, such extra work should not be expected of them. Paying TAs extra or seeking to alter their timetable to allow for meetings out of school hours c...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Introduction
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Getting started
• 2 Supporting the school
• 3 Strategies for enhancing learning
• 4 Strategies for supporting literacy
• 5 Strategies for supporting numeracy
• 6 Tips for dealing with unacceptable behaviour
• 7 Tips for TAs for supporting pupils with special needs
• 8 On being a TA
• Appendix
• Glossary
• Additional resources
• Bibliography