Teaching assistants are a valuable asset in any classroom, as they can support teachers to deliver top quality education.
Not only can they enhance access to the curriculum for pupils, especially for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), but teaching assistants also have a key role to play when it comes to promoting inclusion.
To maximise the potential impact for pupils, communication between the teaching assistant and the teachers is vital - from managing classroom behaviour to developing lesson plans.
Developing good working relationships is key to a teaching assistant understanding the class teacher’s style and their classroom techniques.
Utilising the knowledge of teaching assistants
Teaching assistant amass a special set of skills throughout their career. Ideally, teachers should incorporate a teaching assistant into their lesson planning, rather than viewing them as an add-on to the classroom setting.
Support staff, whether they are teaching assistants or SEN teaching assistants, will often be aware of issues that pupils are facing in the classroom. It's important they they can follow the pupil's progress and liaise with teachers to support planning, and ultimately help pupils to reach their learning goals.
Even if a teacher does not have the opportunity to sit down and discuss lesson plans in great detail, they should still ensure that a teaching assistant has prior access to the resources so they know what to expect.
The importance of feedback
Teachers and teaching assistants should have regular feedback sessions to discuss the things that pupils do and don't understand.
Their observations on pupil performance can be used to shape future lesson planning, as tough topics can be revisited to maximise pupil understanding.
Tracking student progress could be in note format at the end of the lesson or as part of a more formal weekly catch up. Either way, it provides the teaching assistant with a chance to highlight topics and subjects that need attention.
Sharing and supplementing teaching
Teachers can also instruct teaching assistants to provide support across the classroom – rather than just to an assigned child – to ensure that all students are engaged and can develop their conceptual understanding.
This could involve group work where the teacher works with one group while a teaching assistant works with another, giving the teacher a chance to work more closely with pupils who might be struggling.
With effective lesson planning, the teacher and teaching assistant can swap groups throughout the lesson or week so that all pupils can benefit.
By empowering teaching assistants, teachers can create a healthier and more engaging learning environment, which is better for both staff and pupils.
For more useful information, read our article on 5 key ingredients of a great lesson plan.
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