Reading to teacher vs parent helper vs class assistant

[LongDeadMotherofHorrors]

At my children's primary school, children do not read to the teacher. It is primarily done by a parent volunteer and remedial work is done by teaching assistant. Seem wrong to me. Or is this the norm?

I think it depends on the child - I know in DS3's class (Yr 3) the more competent readers are heard by the teacher at least once a week - but in guided reading groups, rather than individually. The children who need a bit more help have the same, but also have individual sessions with the TA or parent helpers.

why is it wrong? we can all listen to readers, and im sure they hear enough children read to know when theres a problem

At the dc's school it is mostly the TA who the childrneread to. The TA's always seem highly professional and in many ways I treat them with the same regard as I do the teacher.

I personally don't like the idea of parent helpers.

Reading is a core and fundamental skill. I'd have thought the teacher would want a clear idea on how the children were progressing and would wish to apply their training.

A teacher pointed out to me that she feels classroom assistants are in a better position to hear reading as they may only have a small group to be responsible for whereas the teacher is still the one responsible for the whole class even is he/she is taking one group for reading. I thought this was a valid point.

I hardly get time to listen to individual children read, but have guided reading sessions to make up for this. Children in my class are heard by the TA and parent helpers on a regular basis (wish it was more), and by me in groups weekly. I have a few concerns so am now running booster sessions in my lunch break, but it is very difficult to hear children during lessons. Who would be teaching the other 29?

Well, in my infanthood, after whole class teaching we were set independent tasks and during this we took it in turns to go up to the teacher's desk and read.

Fair enough, but most 6 year olds don't get much out of independent tasks compared to activities with adult support/intervention. It is easier as they get older, they can work alone or in small groups once the input is done and the task set.

Well I was thinking about 5 year olds and I think we set rather low expectations of Y1s if we don't ask them to follow a task independently.

I'm not saying they can't, just it is not always ideal. To hear 30 readers for 5 minutes a day, or even several times a week, is a large chunk of an already overfull day. Perhaps if teachers ahd less boxes to tick, targets to reach etc., there would be more time.

Maybe that is the big difference between my own childhood and that of my children - far more boxes to tick. Point taken. Still think we're missing a trick though. There are children in my daughter's Y1 class still struggling along at Stage 2 ORT. Surely they need real and qualified help/instruction?

Dd's TA was a hugely experienced and professional woman; I suspect she taught the teachers more than the other way round. Don't underestimate.

Dd's teacher usually has hears dd read once/week, and the TA once/week with mummies now and again. The TAs are very experienced and well able to do this - I tend to regard them as like the teacher in most respects.

I would want the teacher to take reading occaisionally to have a first-hand impression of how they are doing.

It's a combination at DS's school. I know that the class teacher does the guided reading sessions whereby they check comprehension and learn about tone, punctionation etc.

TBH I don't mind whom he reads to as long as he reads, I am happy with parent volunteers and in our school they are very much needed. I read with my DS at home and helped him learn phonics etc. I am not a trained teacher and I feel that my support was a great help to him, so why not another mummy?

Don't think there's much wrong with parent helpers listening to the kids read. I have done this since the girls started school at 4. Parent helpers often have much more time to give to each child and can give extra time to those kids who need it. Teachers and TA's have other pressures on them and can't always give the one-on-one time that is required.

TA's are often very experienced and at my DD's school, they run the reading scheme - half the teachers don't seem to know how it works. Don't forget, whoever listens to your child read, they all talk to the teacher, so any problems are highlighted.

Listening to reading is just the consolidation of their learning it's not the teaching. In our school they learn to read in phonics, shared reading (whole class) and guided reading (group). They are only heard individually if they don't fit into a guided reading group (too far ahead or too far behind) or as a once off if the teacher wants to move the child up to another level and isn't sure about an aspect of their reading.

If a parent wants to come in and listen to readers that's great, the more children read, the more confident they get. But we don't consider it a necessary part of teaching and wouldn't take into consideration that parent's comments on a child's ability.

LongDeadMotherofHorrors - I work as a TA. I listen to readers regularly, either as part of a group in guided reading, or one to one.

I am qualified to do this. I have had internal training within school too.

I am also a qualified teacher, but chose to work as a TA at present.

Many TAs are qualified in this area of their work.

By LongDeadMotherofHorrors Thu 12-Nov-09 23:14:31
Well, in my infanthood, after whole class teaching we were set independent tasks and during this we took it in turns to go up to the teacher's desk and read.

I would imagine in your day you didn't have an over stretched national curriculum or OFSTED

In DD's class (Yr 1 / Yr 2), the teachers hears each child about once every 3 weeks I'd say - certainly several times each half term. Aside from that, all children read every few days with the TA or parent helpers (of which I am one). Children who are struggling get extra sessions with the SENCO, and generally don't read with parent helpers (I think the SENCO hears them every day). The system seems to work well, but I do think some sort of guidance/training for the parent helpers would make it even better. I have time to offer, but sometimes don't always know the best way to help (if children are struggling), or what to suggest working on (where they are able)

I would love to hear the children in my class read regularly. Unfortunately, the curriculum is so overstuffed that it is very rare that I have the time. Generally the TA or a parent helper hears them read. However, I do TEACH reading - all the phonics we do, the whole class reading, the text level work - that is teaching reading. Hearing readers is consolidating, practising etc. There is no special gift needed, parents do it very well. But in an ideal world, I'd hear readers rather than do circle time, or ICT or whatever!

As a TA I plan and take a small group who are finding reading difficult. They have extra support from me and their reading is coming on leaps and bounds. I set the pace of these lessons and progress on my judgment. I also do work closely with the teacher.

LongDeadMotherofHorrors- You make TA's sound as if they don't know what they are doing. When really TA's do quite an important job and this allows the teacher to give all the children quality time.

Sorry all teachers and TAs - I really did not intend to disrepect you or your abilities. I really wanted to hear your experiences and compare them with those from the two schools my kids have attended. Whilst many TAs are very well qualified, that is not a universal. My perspective probably tallies most closely with that so well expressed by Bramshott. I have also been a parent helper doing reading in KS1 and KS2 and IME the only feedback required of me was a small note in a big book - no opportunity for consultation with the teacher or TA at all.

By the way, I'm a bit aghast at thew view of teaching from my infancy - rest assured we were well prepared for secondary school. And as for the pressures of the curriculum and OFSTED - well as a very active and supportive governor I've got a pretty good insight into those.

A discussion is useful. That's all I wanted to have. Thank you for your comments. They have been very interesting and helpful.

I'm a parent helper - I do my best to gently encourage the kids by commenting when they do something right but I feel limited because there is no guidance on what a particular child should be concentrating on -expression/decoding/comprehension/punctuation etc you can't focus on cracking everything.
I just note what we've read but we're not encouraged to feedback to the teacher.
I notice when the teacher reads to my dd - she will be focusing on one aspect of their reading and she comments on it in her reading diary, which gives me a focus on home reading - the TA's just note the pages read and at most will say good expression or very well read.
So for me, I listen to my dd read regularly and what I really need is not for parent helpers or the TA to listen to my dd read but for the teacher to tell me what I need to be reminding my dd to do when I listen to her read.