TA suppport - What is the most important suppprt they give?

[Astro55]

If you have a TA in class - what do you find invaluable?

Behavior management
Resources
Taking the class

Something else?

Our TAs do none of that (secondary)
They tend to be linked to one or two pupils so they support them in accessing the curriculum.

Why would a TA be doing any of that?!

I'm primary and they support me on all three.

A TA has to be part of the behaviour management or it doesn't work.

A TA taking the class for register, handwriting or providing general support to the majority of the class enables teachers to focus on key children or a specific smaller group who need their support the most for that particular lesson, be it pre-teaching, consolidation, helping those who don't understand or challenging those who do to deepen/extend their understanding.

Secondary SENCO...

Yes, our TAs do some behaviour management stuff. If they spot something the teacher doesn't, they will warn the student. The teacher will pick this up and move through the consequence system as a result.

Resources, no, that is firmly the teacher's job including for SEN students. Teachers are expected to plan their lessons for ALL students - and that includes making appropriate resources. The only exception I've had to this rule was a TA whose role included producing/sourcing Braille resources - but we hired them with this as a key part to their role and they were guided closely by the class teachers.

Taking the class in the manner described by MsInterpret as providing general support whilst the teacher works with specific groups is very suitable, and best practice. However, the teacher should have planned the lesson and started it and should give whole class instructions still as appropriate. Taking the register, not so much. But then at secondary this takes 30 seconds and a glance round the room and as is often electronic the TA may not have the correct log in anyway for the class list. Handwriting groups (or at least more secondary appropriate ones) maybe. But often in registration time/lunch. Again, hired with that as part of their role.

Secondary is different, not necessarily better, but the fact that students have multiple teachers and move around leads to different working practises and there's really only a culture of TA allocated to a child specifically to support that goes on rather than general support, as a result.

Our TAs have been trained to scaffold Mark work as it is being done in class - correcting literacy, offering guidance etc. It is REALLY useful!! I think they like feeling valued....they also sometimes take small groups out of room to work with separately..,not much behaviour management or while class work with us though.

I have known TAs screech across the room at a child doing something minor which I haven't noticed, although I'm not sure I'd call that 'invaluable'!

I am a TA. I think some of the most important aspects of my job is providing tea and sympathy, and writing witness statements when some little is lying about the teacher.....

I teach individuals within the lesson, when the class are working and putting their hands up for help, I am the one that goes round and explains things to them

I also do lot of marking

yes I have y allocated students who I prioritise, but they don't necessarily need me glued to their sides.

I'm a TA and I definitely do all three of those. It probably makes a difference which age group you work with, I work in an Infant School.

With the exception of planning lessons or teaching whole lessons for the school I am in the TA does everything. 1:1 interventions are usually prepared by the TA too.

Half my lovely TA's role seems to be keeping me sane.