BY GINANNA ULYATT

Sharing Good Practice

TA should offer students time to think , sometimes providing clues . Modelling new skills often helps students understand expectations and develop independence by working out ways to undertake the activity for themselves . The TA must not do the work for the student .

The TA must focus on the learning objective within the task , but its completion is not essential . The encouragement and development of skills and new understanding are more important . In creative , oral , physical or written activity , every student ’ s work should be unique . A positive approach must be evident alongside honest praise and support . It is essential to engage in sensitive discussion about the students ’ individual outcomes and encourage focused conversation .

There are several ways TAs can fulfil their role effectively , but there must be time allocated on a daily basis for relevant and focused discussion and on a weekly basis for forward planning . TAs need to be confident that they too , can contribute and be involved in planning for all aspects of the curriculum . They also need to have a clear and full understanding about how the activities will promote learning . They must be flexible during activities so that the specific interests of individuals can be followed to accelerate the learning process .

Before students arrive , the TA must help the teacher set up the classroom and prepare the planned activities , making sure the appropriate resources are readily available . Simple , basic assessment documentation and / or checklists must also be on hand , so notes of important staging posts in students ’ learning can be made throughout the day . This important information must be shared with the teacher at the end of each day to be used to inform future planning .

During whole class teaching , the TA must work in partnership with the teacher . The most effective place to be , is sitting with the students and being involved in the focused learning process . This extra support helps students to listen more carefully to the teacher , to extend their concentration levels and to clarify any misconceptions .

During small group activity , the TA must sit with the students , make regular eye contact encouraging quality talk and interaction . Specific and relevant vocabulary must be targeted to increase understanding . Open questions , ( Why ? How ? What would happen if ?) which require students to think before answering , should be common practice and errors should be corrected sensitively . The

Checklist

1 . Allocate time every day for a short meeting between the TA and the teacher .

2 . Make sure that the TA is completely involved in a weekly planning meeting .

3 . Make sure the TA clearly understands what students are expected to learn and that s / he is involved alongside students during whole class teaching time .

4 . Ensure that the TA focuses on the learning objective and vocabulary development .

Reference

Bosanquet . P , Radford . J and Webster . R ( 2016 ) The teaching assistant ’ s guide to effective interaction : How to maximise your practice , published by Routledge .

Gianna has extensive experience as a teacher , principal and inspector . She is a consultant with expertise in KG and has spoken at conferences in Hong Kong , Spain and the U . K . She sometimes works in the UAE . To connect with her , email giannaulyatt @ hotmail . co . uk

Class Time | | Sep - Oct 2018 | 11