The role of teaching assistants

1
The role of teaching assistants

• Dr Maggie Balshaw

2
Aims of the seminar

• To address these questions
• What do we mean by teaching assistants?
• How has their role developed?
• What has research told us?
• What does effective practice look like?
• How can we develop effective practice?

3
Whats in a name?

• 1970s Welfare Assistant
• 1980s Special Needs Assistant
• Special Support Assistant
• 1990s Learning Support Assistant
• 2000s Teaching Assistant

4
National research into the work of Learning
Support Assistants 1998 -1999

• Management
• Contracts, job descriptions and pay
• Line management, support and mentoring of LSAs
• Role
• Effective classroom practice
• Teamwork with teachers
• Training
• Availability and future plans nationally
• Quality, content, relevance and impact on
  practice
• Farrell, P., Balshaw, M.H. and Polat, F. (1999)
• The management, role and training of learning
  support assistants DfEE Publications

5
Definition of Effective Practice

• Effective practice in relation to TAs and Support
  Staff involves contributions that
• Foster the participation of pupils in the social
  and academic processes of the school
• Seek to enable pupils to become more independent
  learners
• Help to raise standards of learning for pupils
• DfES Good Practice Guide 2000

6
Effective deployment strategies

• Successful deployment of TAs and Support Staff is
  based on the following strands
• Support for pupils
• Support for teachers
• Support for the curriculum
• Support for the school
• DfES Good Practice Guide 2000

7
TA role in the classroom

• Summary of key issues
• Reducing barriers
• To co-operative learning with and from peers
• To direct teacher attention for all pupils
• To overall classroom processes and activities
• Encouraging independent learning
• Creating opportunities for individual and
  co-operative learning without direct adult
  support
• Developing confidence in standing back so pupils
  take risks

8
TA role in the classroom

• Summary of key issues
• Maximising potential of additional resource
• Creating opportunities for TAs and Support Staff
  to use skills and expertise to support the
  overall curriculum
• Using these with many of the pupils, not just a
  few
• Planning co-operatively
• Using opportunities for planning together
• Seeking formalised time for this
• Using TA and Support Staffs views and skills to
  review classroom processes and outcomes in order
  to aid planning

9
Staff development and training

• Summary of key issues
• Developing skills in learning in classroom
  partnerships
• Two-way feedback about classroom activities
• Questioning how and why plans and outcomes worked
  or not
• Learning from the joint experiences
• Learning lessons from pupil feedback
• Building on joint classroom experiences and
  sharing these with other colleagues

10
Staff development and training

• Summary of key issues
• Staff development opportunities
• Building on joint classroom experiences and
  sharing these with other colleagues
• Staff development programmes which support this
• An inclusion of TAs and Support Staff in staff
  development planning
• Attention to the needs of teachers in developing
  classroom management skills with respect to TAs
  and Support Staff

11
Staff Development and Training

• Summary of key issues
• Wider staff development and training needs
• Opportunities for TAs and Support Staff to
  identify and pursue relevant training, and where
  available, gain qualification
• Develop a professional development portfolio to
  support Continuous Professional Development
• Attention to the need to recognise the
  achievements and experience of TAs and Support
  Staff in a career structure (based on the
  National Occupational Standards framework)

12
Management

• Summary of key issues
• Drawing up and reviewing job descriptions with
  TAs and Support Staff (using the Good Practice
  Guide to support this process)
• Ensuring that teachers, TAs and Support Staff get
  time to plan together, in contracted time
• Attention paid to induction, mentoring and
  appraisal (or performance management) processes
  (and the use of a professional development
  portfolio)

13
Management

• Summary of key issues
• Contracts which reflect a continuous role
  supporting the curriculum, rather than
  individuals
• (Recognition of the role that TAs and Support
  Staff can play in the remodelling agenda for
  support staff, being aware through the above
  processes of their competence and confidence)
• Issuing contracts which reflect TAs and Support
  Staffs skills, experience and qualification,
  thus fostering a career structure