Teaching Assistant Level 2 Assignment 1 Essay Example

* Appreciate and support the role of other professionals. * Attend relevant meetings. * Participate in training * Assist with the supervision of pupils out of lesson time. * Accompany teaching staff and pupils on visits, trips and out of school activities. Task two There are many tasks in which the teaching assistant can assist the teacher they can range from: Preparing and maintaining the learning environment. Preparing and maintaining the learning environment, such as keeping all resources in good order (pencils sharpened, enough paper etc) and making sure the classroom is neat and tidy. * Preparing learning resources. Preparing learning resources could be anything that they teacher may require to assist with an activity such as placing a certain amount of cubes on a table, laying out paints or placing toys on the carpet. * Ensuring safe use of the internet.

The teaching assistant should always watch the children when they are on the internet to make sure they don’t reveal their identity, make sure that they are on safe websites and making sure they know the appropriate use of the internet. * Organising school work displays. Organising wall displays are a big part of the classroom decor, they promote a stimulating environment to work in and it shows everyone what their topic is. As the topic changes every term the teacher will require help from their assistant. * Promoting good behaviour.

The teaching assistant is the teacher’s second pair of eyes when it comes to the behaviour of the pupils, the teaching assistant will help the teacher to promote good behaviour by using a correct balance of praise and correction, being consistent and listening to

the children. * Observing and recording the performance of individuals or groups. A teacher needs help to observe and record all the information needed to understand the ability of each child, this is where the teaching assistant may sit with a small group or 1-1 and do a certain task the same way the teacher would so therefore getting through all of the children in half the time.

When contributing to a lesson given to a group of seven year olds learning to play percussion instruments you will need a establish a range of things from the equipment you need, how to organise it and what safety aspects you need to consider. During the lesson the teaching assistant should assist and be a role model for the children and throughout the lesson the teaching assistant should do what the teacher asks and requires. The teaching assistants role would be to; * Ensure all the instruments are ready for the lesson and setting them out, having checked they are in good repair and unlikely to cause injury. Supervise children using the instruments, i. e. check they hold them correctly, and use them appropriately. * Be a good role model demonstrating how instruments should be held and used * Support children who are experiencing difficulties * Monitor children's ability to use instruments, follow instructions, achieve outcome of lesson * Clean the instruments after use and put away when finished in the correct place Some safety aspects to remember while teaching musical lessons are: * Checking that the instruments are safe to use and not broken. Make sure there are no other hazards within the learning environment. * The

level of sound in the room. * Ventilation. * The amount of space available for children to sit, stand or move. * Access to and transport of musical equipment. Task 4 A teaching assistant plays an important role for the standards of behaviour expected in the classroom. To be an effective role model you will need to lay a good foundation to achieve positive classroom behaviour, which will require some time to think about the certain strategies you wish to use.

You will need to: * Need to have a good balance of correction along with praise and encouragement to achieve the best results. * Use rewards and consequences consistently and teach them to the pupils therefore the children know their boundaries. * Plan different alternatives to avoid confrontation. * Plan the appropriate language to use depending of the age of the child and their understanding. Once these decisions have been made there are many areas in which you can be an effective role model, with the main areas being: Making clear expectations so that the child knows what is expected of them therefore the classroom rules should be positive, specific and concise. * Building a child’s self esteem is important to build their confidence. It is important to praise those doing well but just as equally to praise those and encourage the ones who are trying hard but struggling as the children who are struggling are often the ones who are lacking in confidence. * Showing respect to pupils and adult’s therefore receiving respect back from the children.

Showing respect to a child could involve listening to their needs and preserving their dignity. It also means

living up to their expectations such as being greeted at the beginning of the day, returning homework on time or generally dong a good deed. You will need to build a good relationship with the pupils and it is necessary to share experiences with them and to demonstrate an interest and understanding of their world. It requires effort and commitment and showing a general interest in their learning and their day to day lives. Being consistent in the classroom is important as if you are constantly changing strategies then this will be seen as decisiveness. Once you have decided on certain strategies then you should stick to it. * Good listening skills are an effective way of promoting good behaviour as a child will know that if they have a problem you will understand and listen therefore not misbehaving. Also listening to the students suggestions will help the child to feel involved in school life and how behaviour is handled.

The teaching assistant should promote positive behaviour by using certain strategies not only by their own actions but following the school policies and procedures by: * Praising and encouraging pupil’s as appropriate. * Implementing the school’s behaviour policy by enforcing school guidelines on behaviour management. * Encouraging pupils to work together and co-operate with each other. * Encouraging pupils to pay attention and concentrate on given tasks. * Supporting pupils in following instructions and routines of the school. Encouraging good standards of pupil behaviour at all times. Bulling can take many forms but the three main types are: * Physical – hitting, kicking, and taking belongings. * Verbal – name calling, insulting, making offensive remarks. *

Indirect – spreading nasty stories, exclusion from social groups, being the subject of malicious rumours. When reacting to incidents of bulling the teachers/assistants should make it clear that bulling will not be tolerated. Any signs of bulling should be taken seriously and appropriately according to the age and level of understanding of the pupils.

You should: * Deal with each incident individually and access the need of each pupil separately. * Provide a secure environment in which pupils can report incidents confidently. * Show all pupils that bullying is always taken seriously. * Respond calmly and consistently to all incidents. * Reassure pupils that the school will protect and support all parties involved while the issues are being resolved. * Provide long term and positive programmes of personal development where it is required. * Ensure all incidents are recorded and dealt with as quickly as possible.

In order to make a successful observation of a 9 year old boy participating in physical education there are first several factors to take into account they are: * To plan in advance * Do not disrupt the pupil’s activities and routines * Take into account the Childs own previous skills, their personalities, their interests and their cognitive and social development. There are many methods to make an observation they are : * Time sampling * Event sampling * structured observation * Participative observation * Longitudinal observation * Target child observation

When observing an activity like physical education you will need to make a study over a certain time period to find the overall result so a structured observation technique and using a table like the one shown below then using a

longitudinal observation technique will show the appropriate results.

The teacher or assistant would arrange a particular activity (in this case physical education) so they can observe how the pupil is doing in that specific area of the curriculum. A longitudinal observation is when a teaching assistant has made a series of dated observations over a period of time which they then can build up a picture of the pupil’s progress that then enables the teacher to see if milestones are being reached. When the teaching assistant commences with the recording of the observations they should only record what they have actually seen and not to make assumptions, don’t be judgemental and don’t be intrusive.