TAs need to use initiative and prepare themselves before they arrive at school to be more effective in providing support. It is important to stay informed about school life and special events but also to anticipate the need to adapt to special situations, such as an inspection).
Again, a sense of initiative is essential to best support the teachers and the school. Administrative tasks are often time-consuming and can be burdensome. Taking responsibility for carrying a procedure through helps relieve teachers’ workload.
Teachers and TAs don’t always have an allocated time to liaise about their work. However, it is important to make time, even informally, to discuss roles and objectives before interventions. Planning is important to relay expectations and clarify roles. It also helps TAs match their support to individuals’ needs if they know exactly what the success criteria are to be. TAs and teachers can then discuss strategies for support. The better prepared the TA, the more effective the support: they need to know the concepts and facts to be used, the skills to be applied and the learning outcomes to be reached.
It is important to adapt support to individuals’ needs and promote participation of all children regardless of the possible barriers they may experience. TAs need to demonstrate inclusive support by respecting individuals’ differences and recognising difficulties that could limit a child’s access to education. Discussions with teachers can help TAs gain knowledge of children’s needs as much as direct observations of children’s progress. Once difficulties are identified, TAs must work to minimise them by matching support strategies to individuals’ needs.
Training, professional discussion and personal development provide information about specific strategies in response to children’s needs. TAs need to be on a continuous look out for improvement in their practice. They need to identify their training needs and sources for professional development. In terms of strategies for supporting specific needs, depending on experience and the nature of the need, TAs can talk to colleagues for advice or access a wealth of professional guidance on-line. Sites such as the Times Education Supplement, the Education Endowment Foundation or the Teaching Assistant College provide shared bet practice resources to inspire self-directed professional development. Whilst in post, TAs can also call upon their employer to access specific training which they may require to improve their practice.
TAs support both pupils and teachers simultaneously. They reinforce the expectations of positive behaviour by intervening early to minimise disruptions to lessons. Non-verbal behaviour is an important way of communication which encourages children to assess and self-correct their behaviour before they cause disruptions. It can be very powerful to then reward a child who has exercised self-discipline (albeit prompted) with a nod and a smile. A quiet word, at a later stage, can add to the sense of achievement and help reinforce the message that positive behaviour is acknowledge and rewarding.
Although they may be assigned to work with a particular group, TAs need to be alert to the whole class and give attention to children in a proportionate way. They may become aware of potential difficulties for other children than the ones they are supporting and decide to provide punctual support to avoid disruptions. One possible cause for difficulties is a lack of understanding of a lesson’s objectives. When children miss a part of a lesson, whether because they are late or out-of-class for intervention, they face the challenge of gathering clues to determine the objectives of the activities. If they can’t figure out what to do, they may disengage with the lesson and become disruptive. TAs can prevent this by quietly briefing the children and guiding them into the task.
When disruption is unavoidable, it is important to minimise its effects by staying calm and patient whilst keeping rules and expectations clear. It is important that TAs develop effective strategies for dealing with behaviour issues. First, the situation must be understood: what happened and who is involved? Then the behaviour needs to be assessed: what is the pupil doing and how is it affecting them and others? Finally, the consequences need to be addressed: what should be done and said, in accordance with the school’s rules?
When supporting pupils’ learning, TAs must use a range of strategies. It is important to observe pupils carefully during intervention. They must be encouraged to think for themselves first. This supports the development of autonomy and creativity. If the children encounter difficulties and struggle, help needs to be gradual: TAs should make sure children take responsibility for their learning and drive their own progress. Support should not take away ownership of learning. It should start with prompts and clues to try and guide children towards a solution, resorting to suggesting or modelling only when children disengage. It should provide regular feedback and encouragement to sustain children’s motivation and attention. It should also be adapted to each child’s specific needs.