Teaching Assistant Reflection

During this assignment, I will be discussing whether or not it is worth the financial cost of having a Teaching Assistant (TA) within a classroom setting. I will be elaborating on: the roles and responsibilities that Teaching Assistants have and how this can be affected by both the Teacher and the children in the class; the effect that they have on the children’s learning both in group and on a one to one situations; different opinions that people have about TAs and how this can affect the class team and I will also be discussing people’s views on whether or not Teaching Assistants are worth the money. TA’s can play a vital role in the classroom but may also be used ineffectively. I will be highlighting the importance this plays in a classroom
It is stated by Briggs and Cunningham (2009) that a TA is central in the improvement of the outcomes of learning due to the support they provide for a teacher. By providing support, a Teacher is able to attend to other children in the class knowing that they have a Teaching Assistant working with another group. The support and teamwork between both the Teacher and Teaching Assistant can play an important role in both the children’s learning and how effective the classroom environment is run. When on placement in my second year I made sure that both I and the TA had a good, positive relationship so that we could work well during lesson time so that each child could benefit from it. Pittman (2007) expresses that a “good team can provide really positive support to each other and to the pupils.” (p.g 35), therefore by having a good ethos in the classroom, a teacher is more likely to have a positive influence when helping children to improve their learning. This can also help on creating a relaxed environment for the children’s learning. This is
This team involves the Teachers, the Teaching Assistants, and the Parents. A Parent’s view on their child’s learning is often important for a Teacher as they will know how their child is feeling about school. Pittman (2007) suggests that Parents are often looking for Teaching Assistants who can understand how the child and their own individual needs because often a parent's main concern is if their child is enjoying school. During my SE2 placement, the Teaching Assistant in my class would make sure that she studied every child’s background and different learning styles that helped them work more effectively to make sure that she knew how to work with each child in a different way that would positively help them. This is supported by Nash (2014) who explains that Teaching Assistant support can be an alternative support for the children, instead of any additional support to teaching by the teacher. But this can be very controversial as “pupils with more classroom support have less interaction with the teacher” (Nash, 2014, p.33). Therefore by taking a child out of class, you are taking away the vital interaction that the student could possibly have with the teacher that could improve their learning altogether. Blatchford et al (2004) stated that “Teachers are not sure about the