Forging links between parents and schools: a new role for Teaching Assistants? (original) (raw)
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2020
The last 20 years have seen a huge expansion in the additional adults 1 working in classrooms in the UK, USA, and other countries. This paper presents the findings of a series of systematic literature reviews about teaching assistants. The first two reviews focused on stakeholder perceptions of teaching assistant contributions to academic and social engagement. Stakeholders were pupils, teachers, TAs, headteachers and parents. Perceptions focused on four principal contributions that teaching assistants contribute to: pupils" academic and socio-academic engagement; inclusion; maintenance of stakeholder relations; and support for the teacher. The third review explored training. Against a background of patchy training provision both in the UK and the USA, strong claims are made for the benefits to TAs of training provided, particularly in building confidence and skills. The conclusions include implications for further training and the need for further research to gain an in-depth ...
Teaching assistants and pupils' academic and social engagement
PsycEXTRA Dataset
The last 20 years have seen a huge expansion in the additional adults 1 working in classrooms in the UK, USA, and other countries. This paper presents the findings of a series of systematic literature reviews about teaching assistants. The first two reviews focused on stakeholder perceptions of teaching assistant contributions to academic and social engagement. Stakeholders were pupils, teachers, TAs, headteachers and parents. Perceptions focused on four principal contributions that teaching assistants contribute to: pupils" academic and socio-academic engagement; inclusion; maintenance of stakeholder relations; and support for the teacher. The third review explored training. Against a background of patchy training provision both in the UK and the USA, strong claims are made for the benefits to TAs of training provided, particularly in building confidence and skills. The conclusions include implications for further training and the need for further research to gain an in-depth understanding as to precisely the manner in which TAs engage with children. The systematic literature reviews that form the basis for this presentation were funded by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) managed by the EPPI-Centre review team at the Institute of Education,
International Journal of Emotional Education, 2009
The last twenty years have seen a huge expansion in the additional adults 3 working in classrooms in the UK, USA, and other countries. This paper presents the findings of a series of systematic literature reviews about teaching assistants (TAs). The first two reviews focused on stakeholder perceptions of TAs' contributions to academic and social engagement, namely the perceptions of pupils, teachers, TAs, headteachers and parents on four principal contributions that teaching assistants contribute to: pupils' academic and socio-academic engagement; inclusion; maintenance of stakeholder relations; and support for the teacher. The third review explored training of TAs. Against a background of patchy training provision both in the UK and the USA, strong claims are made for the benefits to TAs of training provided, particularly in building confidence and skills. The conclusions include implications for further training and the need for further research to gain an in-depth understanding of the way TAs engage with children.
Proceedings of the 7th Teaching & Education Conference, London
Inclusive education has become increasingly valued every year over the past decade within the implementation of education. Regarding this, the training situations of Teaching Assistants (TAs) is gaining more importance when working with pupils with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) in mainstream education classrooms. This proposed study is an exploration of the training factors that influence the role of TAs when teaching students with SEND in mainstream classrooms in England during their one-year training. I will adopt an interpretivist approach, using a multiple case study design to explore the degree of relationship between the training factors and the role implementation of TAs when teaching pupils with SEND in mainstream classrooms in England during an eight-month period. This proposed multi-method study will feature 12 case studies, and each of those case studies will involve a trainee TA. By using the semi-structured interview and non-participant observation methods for each of the case studies, through this proposed study I am seeking to make a meaningful contribution to educational knowledge in different ways. My aim is to increase the understanding of the influence level of training on TAs' personal knowledge and professional skills. This should further our understanding of the connection between TAs' training and the quality, nature and differentiation of education in the classroom. I am also seeking to find out whether there is a gap between the training of TAs and the role requirements of TAs, regarding the teaching of students with SEND in mainstream classrooms.
Support for Learning, 2010
This article explores notions of support and collaboration between teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) in two secondary schools in England. In particular it reviews how team members created opportunities and established collaborative practices aimed at including each other in the task of providing support for children who are described as having difficulties in learning. The data from the ethnographic study, which were collected through a variety of methods and were generated with the support and participation of teachers, heads of departments, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) and teaching assistants, suggest that the successful inclusion of students is dependent on how schools as organisations and communities are able to support the inclusion of adults as well.