Our first guest blogger is Stefanie Moore who currently works as one Classroom's Teaching Assistants and is in the midst of teacher training. We have asked her to look at the issue of Teaching Assistants becoming more involved in the teaching of lessons and what she thinks their role in the Class should be.My decision to re-train as a teacher came about after spending time in the classroom as a supply teaching assistant. On those many early mornings, there were times when I thought that my allotted teacher was maybe not pulling their weight, but I would never have dreamt of thinking that I could do a better job – without the right training. And the intensity of the PGCE programme that I’m currently battling through confirms this – to learn to be a teacher takes experience, reflection and acquisition of new skills. No mean feat.
So when I read the headlines claiming ‘TAs left in charge for days on end’ through to the more spurious articles which suggest that bouncers and beauty therapists are running schools, I’m as shocked as anyone else. Reading between the lines (and a little deeper than these attention grabbing reports would like), I believe that a) this situation doesn’t happen as often as suggested in the press and b) there are situations where a teaching assistant can be of real benefit as a surrogate teacher in the classroom.
If students are left teacher-less for any length of time, then a familiar TA is privy to more insider knowledge about the class then a supply teacher; he/she will know who’s on which reading level, where to find the pencil sharpeners and how to resolve any ruckus between Danny and Darren. Also, having a familiar face in charge means less disruption to students – and a more peaceful day for everyone.
Lord Adonis wrote that assistants are extremely useful in the classroom and should contribute to the learning ‘if supervised by a qualified teacher’. At first, I thought this was an odd statement – why is the TA teaching if a teacher is in the room? But I think I know what he means. TAs are brilliant at taking small groups in guided reading sessions and working one on one with EAL/SEN learners. If an assistant has a particular skill relevant to the lesson (be it Bollywood dancing, fluent Russian or cross-stitch), then it makes sense that these skills are recognised and that TA becomes teacher.
But these are all situations where the teaching role is embedded in the lesson – the TA should not be expected to take responsibility for the whole class. I enjoyed the experience of teaching stand-alone sessions – but I was working with a small group of students and was already considering the possibility of re-training as a teacher. Not all TAs would relish the opportunity. The media seems to suggest that these poor, put-upon assistants are approached to cover whole lessons single handed and are being made to feel as if they can’t refuse – surely being forced to do something which falls outside your job remit is workplace bullying? Within the classroom, my worry is that teaching assistants would face the same challenges – behaviour management, assessment, personalised learning – but without the training. A chaotic day in the classroom is par for the course; for an inexperienced teaching assistant it would be a serious blow to the confidence. Of course, I have no doubt that many teaching assistants would do a fantastic job at this – but if they do, then they should be remunerated for their efforts. Taking a class and doing it well is above and beyond the call of duty.
In reality, it seems that TAs are used as teachers out of convenience, rather than out of recognition of their particular skills, to keep budgets down at the cost of learning. Teaching Assistants are an invaluable support in the classroom but to give them the responsibility of taking lessons on a regular basis is unfair and misleading. Sadly, if what I heard this morning on the news is more than just gossip, then I fear that we are in for more of the same. If plans go ahead to cut '£2 billion from schools' budgets, then classroom assistants may be called on to cover a little more often than before…..
What do you think about what Stef has to say? How do you think teaching assistants can be best utilised in the classroom? As always your comments are always welcomed.
So when I read the headlines claiming ‘TAs left in charge for days on end’ through to the more spurious articles which suggest that bouncers and beauty therapists are running schools, I’m as shocked as anyone else. Reading between the lines (and a little deeper than these attention grabbing reports would like), I believe that a) this situation doesn’t happen as often as suggested in the press and b) there are situations where a teaching assistant can be of real benefit as a surrogate teacher in the classroom.
If students are left teacher-less for any length of time, then a familiar TA is privy to more insider knowledge about the class then a supply teacher; he/she will know who’s on which reading level, where to find the pencil sharpeners and how to resolve any ruckus between Danny and Darren. Also, having a familiar face in charge means less disruption to students – and a more peaceful day for everyone.
Lord Adonis wrote that assistants are extremely useful in the classroom and should contribute to the learning ‘if supervised by a qualified teacher’. At first, I thought this was an odd statement – why is the TA teaching if a teacher is in the room? But I think I know what he means. TAs are brilliant at taking small groups in guided reading sessions and working one on one with EAL/SEN learners. If an assistant has a particular skill relevant to the lesson (be it Bollywood dancing, fluent Russian or cross-stitch), then it makes sense that these skills are recognised and that TA becomes teacher.
But these are all situations where the teaching role is embedded in the lesson – the TA should not be expected to take responsibility for the whole class. I enjoyed the experience of teaching stand-alone sessions – but I was working with a small group of students and was already considering the possibility of re-training as a teacher. Not all TAs would relish the opportunity. The media seems to suggest that these poor, put-upon assistants are approached to cover whole lessons single handed and are being made to feel as if they can’t refuse – surely being forced to do something which falls outside your job remit is workplace bullying? Within the classroom, my worry is that teaching assistants would face the same challenges – behaviour management, assessment, personalised learning – but without the training. A chaotic day in the classroom is par for the course; for an inexperienced teaching assistant it would be a serious blow to the confidence. Of course, I have no doubt that many teaching assistants would do a fantastic job at this – but if they do, then they should be remunerated for their efforts. Taking a class and doing it well is above and beyond the call of duty.
In reality, it seems that TAs are used as teachers out of convenience, rather than out of recognition of their particular skills, to keep budgets down at the cost of learning. Teaching Assistants are an invaluable support in the classroom but to give them the responsibility of taking lessons on a regular basis is unfair and misleading. Sadly, if what I heard this morning on the news is more than just gossip, then I fear that we are in for more of the same. If plans go ahead to cut '£2 billion from schools' budgets, then classroom assistants may be called on to cover a little more often than before…..
What do you think about what Stef has to say? How do you think teaching assistants can be best utilised in the classroom? As always your comments are always welcomed.
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