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What are your experiences with teaching assistants?

There's loads of threads about how to be an effective teacher, but I actually haven't found that much information on teaching assistants, classroom supports, learning support assistants etc when searching up keywords.

Just wondering for those who have worked as a TA, or those that are working with TAs. What do you think about the position, and what it takes to be a good TA compared to a bad one.

Reply 1

Esmeralda4

The TAs in the school I volunteer at have a major role. They support the teacher with prep and behaviour management but also run some lessons, taking their own groups for numeracy and phonics, for example. In a large KS1 class, TAs and LSAs are invaluable. To be a good TA I think you would need to be hardworking, supportive and have effective organisation and behaviour management skills.

Reply 2

myblueheaven339

19

Original post by Tombola

There's loads of threads about how to be an effective teacher, but I actually haven't found that much information on teaching assistants, classroom supports, learning support assistants etc when searching up keywords.

Just wondering for those who have worked as a TA, or those that are working with TAs. What do you think about the position, and what it takes to be a good TA compared to a bad one.

It's a really tough but enjoyable job. The biggest downside is that the pay is awful so I wouldn't recommend it long term unless you have a partner to help out financially.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 3

johnrwhite

TA has to do works more than teacher.

Reply 4

buchanan700

16

A TA is a very valuable member of staff and the teacher should know exactly how to allocate and plan for them. The TA should be expected to be organised and flexible.
It's a very wide role though. A less qualified TA will have different responsibilities than a HLTA, for example.

Invaluable in terms of working with lower ability groups, SEN children, administrative tasks and photocopying/ display work, I must say. No class should be without one.

Reply 5

xxstace123xx

14

Original post by johnrwhite

TA has to do works more than teacher.

I don't think that is true, but at the same time I think teaching assistants are excellent and get seriously underpaid.

I have learned just as much from the TA's through my experience, they often have a greater connection to the school and how the systems works as they have often been there longer.

Reply 6

TraineeLynsey

7

Original post by johnrwhite

TA has to do works more than teacher.

TAs work very hard, especially in certain schools, but I would challenge any TA to show they work harder than teachers. Many TAs only work 8.30-4pm ish and don't take work home. Teachers by contrast work during holidays/weekends and regularly work 7.30-5.30, if not longer, during the school week.

I've been a TA and am now a trainee teacher. In one school as a TA I worked 8-5.30 ish because my workload was immense, but I had evenings and weekends free. At another school I did 8.30-5 and never had to do a minute of work outside of the school. My TA now arrives at school at 8.30am and is gone by 3.45 every day. She works hard during the day, don't get me wrong, but her hours are nothing compared to the teaching staff.

Reply 7

Chlorophile

20

Knowing the level of intervention required is key. I've seen some TAs who think they're teachers and actually disrupt the lesson because they don't understand their role properly.

...I also once saw a TA who thought they were a student and kept shouting out the answers to questions!

Original post by Chlorophile

Knowing the level of intervention required is key. I've seen some TAs who think they're teachers and actually disrupt the lesson because they don't understand their role properly.

...I also once saw a TA who thought they were a student and kept shouting out the answers to questions!

This won't be a popular post but research suggests that using Teaching Assistants for general classroom support is an extravagance that delivers little or no benefit for students.

http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/teaching-assistants/

Reply 9

Chlorophile

20

Original post by Mr M

This won't be a popular post but research suggests that using Teaching Assistants for general classroom support is an extravagance that delivers little or no benefit for students.

http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/teaching-assistants/

I don't think my school even uses TAs anymore because of funding. Only LSAs for children with special needs.

Reply 10

bellylaugh

5

Original post by Mr M

This won't be a popular post but research suggests that using Teaching Assistants for general classroom support is an extravagance that delivers little or no benefit for students.

http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/teaching-assistants/

Not according to the latest report on the TES:
http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6400487

Original post by bellylaugh

Not according to the latest report on the TES:
http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6400487

You probably should have read my post more carefully. I specifically mentioned general classroom support and linked to the same EEF research. Never mind.

Reply 12

jsc1985

5

Original post by johnrwhite

TA has to do works more than teacher.

No, they really don't.

Reply 13

cwil2012

I worked as a TA for a year and I'm now a HLTA and I'll be returning to university in September for my pgce.

It actually really annoys me when people dismiss the role of the TA; without TA's some students would find it impossible to effectively access the curriculum. As much as teachers try, realistically in a classroom of 30 students it is very difficult to give all statemented or school action plus students the attention the require as well as ensuring that other students don't go without.

TA's are hardworking, flexible and often aren't used as effectively as possible. A good teacher uses the TA in the classroom as valuable resource and knows how to make the most of them. I've worked with teachers who made the effort to find out about my degree and other qualifications and they then used this and gave me more responsibility in their classroom. However, I've also worked with teachers who have looked down their nose at me and automatically thought I would have had the minimal qualifications necessary for the role and because of this they spent their lesson constantly directing me as if I had no common sense or intelligence.

I think that it doesn't come down to whether someone is a good TA and is more about whether they make a good team with the teacher they support because that's the way it should be.

What are your experiences with teaching assistants?

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