1. How Teaching Assistant practice
in the classroom can promote
teaching and learning
Wednesday 24th June 2015
By Vargini Ledchumykanthan
SENCO

2. Learning Objective
 To understand the roles and responsibilities of the Teacher and the
Teaching Assistant
 Identify the ways in which Teachers and TAs currently work at Twickenham
 Identify the collaborative approaches promote teaching and learning
 Identify key skills and techniques to promote small group/ independent
work
 To understand the key features of effective questioning
 To understand how ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy’ of higher order thinking
promotes progress in learning
 To use Blooms Taxonomy is used to generate questions to promote
learning and engagement

3. Teachers’ Standards – 2012 and Ofsted
2013
Teaching Standards 2012:
Two key strands of wider professional responsibilities:
 Develop effective professional relationships with colleagues,
knowing how and when to draw on advice and specialist support
 Deploy support staff effectively.
OFSTED Guidance 2013:
 Outstanding Lesson: Teachers and other adults generate high levels
of engagement and commitment to learning across the whole
school.
 Good Lesson: Teachers and other adults create a positive climate for
learning in their lessons and pupils are interested and engaged.

4. The LSA Role…
Their role is to help “Raise standards” by:
 Support for the pupil.
 Support for the teacher.
 Support for the curriculum.
 Support for the school.
Support staff can help to:
 Raise the performance of individual pupils
 Provide coping strategies for pupils
 Assist in management of pupils behaviour
 Promote pupils’ independence
 Support the development of differentiated curricular approaches to meet the diversity of pupils’
learning needs

5. Collaborative approaches to promote
teaching and learning
Before the lesson
During the introduction/starter
Whole class teaching time
Small group /Independent work

6. Before the lesson…
 Teachers should:
 Wherever possible plan with the TA
 Discuss the lesson with the teaching assistant/LSA – Give a copy of the lesson
plan? Consider pupils with IEPs and where support will be required throughout
the lesson.
 Consider whether the LSA knows the purpose/context of the lesson- what are
the main outcomes? Why are the pupils learning this?
 Consider whether any resources may need adapting – discuss with LSA.

7. During the Introduction/Starter
The LSA/Teaching Assistant should never be stood/sat doing
nothing, indicate where support would be best at the
beginning…(scribing on the white board, modelling a technique
Is there a group who don’t need this introduction – could the TA
take a group straight away and get them going sooner?
Challenging higher level/independent learners? Or scaffolding
SEN pupils?
Could the LSA facilitate understanding of the learning objective?
Are there any pupils that would need support ‘getting started’?

8. During ‘Whole Class’ Teaching…
 The teacher should designate where the LSA/Assistant would be best, it might be that
there are groups that do not need the input of others and might be able to split into a
group… it might be that the LSA can scaffold what the teacher is saying to specific
groups/individual pupils…
 Ensure the LSA knows where they are supposed to be.
 Identify key pupils/groups and make them accessible to the LSA
 Don’t expect an LSA to keep children focused when the time is too long or the activity is
inappropriate.
 Use the LSA as a role model – demonstrating appropriate behaviour. Don’t allow the LSA
to distract the pupils – identify when they should intervene.
 Indicate that the LSA should focus on the PUPILS not you as the teacher – they should
already have ‘learnt’ what the lesson is about and shouldn’t need the input!

9. Small Group/Independent Work
 Again, it is the teachers role to ensure LSAs know what is expected of them AND the
pupils.
 Make sure the assistant knows where to work with the child or group and what
resources they will need (in advance!)
 Ensure that the assistant knows why they are working with a child or group and what
support to give (are they observing? Facilitating? Monitoring?)
 If they are monitoring/working with a group they should be expected to keep
records of pupils progress as evidence to relay back to the teacher.
 Ensure again that the assistant knows the LEARNING OBJECTIVE – this isn’t the same
as the activity, how will the assistant know if the pupil is successful (success criteria?)
 The assistant might worry that the purpose is completing the task, good
communication regarding the objective/success criteria will allow them to focus on
the learning rather than getting finished!
 Give them extension work/key questions to allow them to assess correctly the group
they are working with.

10. Reducing Dependency…
 Teachers should avoid allowing pupils to rely on an LSA to allow them to be
included in the lesson, LSAs should be there to facilitate the learning of ALL
the pupils not just those with SEN.
 Teachers should:
 Differentiate the learning objectives.
 Modify/Adjust the lesson based on the IEPs/Knowledge of individual pupils to
promote independence.
 Find opportunities for pupils to work using peer support or provide resources
to allow inclusion.
 Use the support staff to model the task, answer questions and then move
away and monitor.
 Model ways or include ways in the lesson that encourage pupisl to become
more independent.

11. How teaching assistants engage students in the class

12. In summary…
The role of the Teaching Assistant is very important. The
effective deployment of support staff can make the
difference between a child succeeding or failing. Much of the
Teaching Assistant’s role is directed by the teacher, but an
outstanding TA is also intuitive and responds to the needs
of the children.
It is important that both teacher and Teaching Assistant
work together with the aim that all the children in the class
are learning throughout the lesson. Children should make
progress through suitably challenging activities and
questioning. Thinking time is good; down time is not.

13. A sheet like this
would allow
LSAs or Teaching
assistants to be a
part of the
assessment
process and
ensure teachers
are aware of how
pupils have fared
with their
learning and
where to move
them onto next.

14. Working with teaching assistants
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XcPVf1UPGU