Nvq 2 Teaching Assistant

TEACHING ASSISTANT CERTIFICATE LEVEL 2

UNIT 1 SUPPORTING THE TEACHER

TASK 1
Describe the key aspects of the role of a teaching assistant. The key aspects of a teaching assistants’ role covers four main areas:
Supporting the teacher, supporting the pupil, supporting the curriculum and supporting the school. To support the teacher, a teaching assistant will work under the class teacher’s direction and will perform practical and administrative tasks that will enable the teacher to have more time to teach. This can be accomplished by helping to supervise and support pupils whilst learning, helping to prepare, organise and maintain the classroom or learning environment being used, including any equipment or materials and resources. The teaching assistant will ensure they have a working knowledge of the curriculum, of all school policies, procedures and record keeping so that they can help enable the teacher to fulfilling all requirements and implement them. The key aspect to supporting the teacher is to assist in any way needed that enables the teacher to do their job more effectively, which is to teach. To support the pupil, a teaching assistant will again take direction from the class teacher and will use the learning environment, equipment, materials and resources around them to enhance the pupils learning experiences and provide the appropriate level of support. A teaching assistant will help the pupil by having a good knowledge of child development, child protection, school behaviour and health and safety policies and implement them to help maintain a healthy, safe and nurturing environment for pupils to learn and develop in. A teaching assistant will also know how to support inclusion and equal opportunities within the classroom and how to observe and record pupil’s progress to aid the teacher in assessing their learning and development.

To support the curriculum, a teaching assistant will take direction from the class teacher in how they can assist with planning, delivering, implementing and evaluating the learning goals that are taking place. The teaching assistant should make sure they are familiar with the area of the curriculum that is being taught so that they can fully support the class teacher and the pupil and help to stimulate and motivate pupils to learn. To support the school, a teaching assistant will have a good working knowledge and understanding of all policies, procedures, legal responsibilities, and record keeping requirements for that individual school and know how to implement them efficiently and effectively. Teaching assistants support the school by being involved in not only the day to day tasks within the classroom but by being actively involved in meetings, class trips, and playground duties. A teaching assistant will be supporting their school by ensuring that professionally they take opportunities to further develop their knowledge by taking part in training and learning opportunities themselves.

TASK 2
Give examples of some tasks that can be carried out by a teaching assistant to support the teacher

Tasks that can be carried out by a teaching assistant to support the teacher could include:

• Ensuring that classroom equipment, materials and resources are well stocked, kept clean, tidy, maintained, organised and repaired when needed. If there are any incomplete tasks, maintenance or repair needs, these are communicated to the teacher.
• Help the teacher to prepare learning resources and materials before the start of the school day. This could include for example; photocopying, cutting out, sticking and gluing learning resource's to be used as teaching aids for spelling books, preparing or laying out certain toys or equipment to be used as a tool to help class discussion specific to the teacher's theme.
• Assisting the teacher with pupil behaviour and management, this could mean working with an individual child who is disrupting the class and working with them on a one to one basis, this will allow the teacher and class to remain focused on the tasks set.
• Observing and recording individuals or a group of pupils’ is another task that can be carried out by a teaching assistant. This can be done by utilising the learning goal and the resource's and equipment to assess a child or group of children and how they are progressing in a certain area. Observing and recording covers many aspects of learning and development and can be carried out in a variety of ways. The observations recorded can then be assessed by the teacher to help them make decisions on how best to promote further learning and development for individuals and groups. Other tasks could include:
Welcoming parents and children at the start of the day, collecting and or logging dinner and snack monies handed in, logging parent or pupils comments regarding general matters where appropriate and communicating this to the class teacher, assisting pupils with personal care if it is required, assisting the class teacher with literacy and numeracy activities. A teaching assistant will also take part in educational visits and will assist the teaching by ensuring pupils are kept safe, maintain appropriate behaviour and reinforce the teachers instruction to their class. The tasks that are carried out by a teaching assistant can cover a wide range of activities; ultimately the teaching assistant will work under the guidance of the teacher and under their own initiative to fulfil tasks that will free up the teacher so they can to fulfil their role, which is to teach.

TASK 3
A: Define how you might contribute to a lesson given to a group of seven year old children learning to play a percussion instrument. So that I could contribute fully to the lesson I would communicate with the class teacher prior to the start of the lesson to find out what role, he/she would like me to take. From the lesson plan given to me in advance I would know the learning goals and be aware of the potential outcomes to look for.
Prior to the lesson I can contribute by ensuring that I am aware of:
• The developmental stages of seven year olds.
• Familiarise myself with each of the instruments to be used;
• Know the names of each instrument and possibly learn the origins and history of the instrument so I was able to answer any questions from the pupils'. During the lesson I could contribute by:
• Assisting the teacher by reinforcing the ground rules set out for the pupils'.
• Demonstrate along with the teacher how each instrument is to be held and played.
• Supervise and help pupils' if needed in holding and using the instruments correctly and appropriately.
• Assist pupils' who need additional support in using the instruments, or those who need help to follow the ground rules set out.
• Observing and recording pupils' abilities and monitor how they follow instructions to achieve the outcomes set out for the lesson.
• Monitoring the behaviour of the pupils' during the lesson and reinforce good behaviour.

At the end of the lesson I would feedback to the teacher any immediate concerns regarding pupils', for example, a child who was showing negative behaviour or pupils' who struggled with the task. I would also make the teacher aware of any children who did particularly well and showed enthusiasm, helpfulness, good behaviour or showed a talent in that area. All other observations would have been recorded by myself or the class teacher in the form that was appropriate for that particular learning outcome and would be shared at the end of the day or at another appropriate time if needed. TASK 3 b:What might be your role be in organising, using and maintaining the learning resources, materials and equipment. My role in organising, using and maintaining the learning resources, materials and equipment prior to the lesson would be to:
• Discuss the lesson plan with the teacher and determine what the learning goals and outcomes are.
• Discuss with the teacher what my role will be in the lesson.
• Check that all resource's, materials and equipment were available to be used and gathered to the classroom if needed.
• Inspect the classroom and make sure it was tidy and that there was sufficient space for it to be an enjoyable and safe environment for the activity.
• Prepare and lay out the instruments needed and check for the safety of the equipment being used and that they are in good repair.
• Gather together observation sheets, possibly a camera and any other observations aids needed. During the lesson my role in organising, using and maintaining the learning resources, materials and equipment would be to: • Help to delegate to pupils and assist in the distribution and collection of the instruments and equipment.
• Demonstrate to the pupils how to use the instruments and help them to use their listening and motor skills to produce different sounds and rhythms.

• Support pupils who need help to understand how to use the instruments, how to create a sound or a rhythm by encouraging and praising their efforts and maybe showing or repeating the activity myself to build their confidence to keep trying.
• Ensure that the instruments and equipment were used in a suitable and safe manner by all pupils.
• Maintain the confidentiality of any pupil observations I have made on observation sheets, by keeping them close to me and out of direct view from the other pupils'.
• Being conscious of the ways in which the instruments are being used and looking out for any potential damage. At the end of the lesson the teacher and myself would assign tasks for the pupils' in organising and tidying away the equipment and learning resources used in that lesson. I would be actively looking for damage to the equipment and making a note of any repairs or replacements needed.

TASK 3 c:What aspects of safety would you consider?

The aspects of safety that I would consider prior to the lesson would be: • To be well versed on the school's health and safety and behaviour policies and know how they can be implemented within the classroom to ensure everything is done to maintain a safe environment.
• To inspect all the equipment to check for damage that could result in an injury to any of the pupils.
• Making sufficient space for the activity to eliminate the potential for pupils waving around instruments and hitting each other.
• Eliminating potential tripping or knocking hazards as the activity will undoubtedly create an excited atmosphere while the pupils are moving and dancing, shaking and playing their instruments; if that is part of the aim for the lesson. During the lesson the aspects of safety I would consider would be very similar to the above in that those aspects would be constantly monitored and checked. Another safety aspect that is applied to all lessons but is particularly effective during this type of lesson plan would be to; communicate to the pupils which sound, action, or hand signal the teacher and teaching assistant will use to gain the attention of the pupils if the teacher or teaching assistant needed to stop undesirable, inappropriate or dangerous behaviour or simply to calm the atmosphere. This simple action can ensure that the pupils are aware of what is expected of them at that time, which means that order and safety and a good learning environment can be restored to the classroom.