Just+for+TAs

toc Page Purpose: Useful material that is specifically aimed at informing and supporting Teacher Aides. //"What is a teacher aide? Just an extra pair of hands, or an untrained surrogate teacher and parent and therapist and protector and nurse and friend and advocate? A teacher aide or a student aide? A respected member of staff or merely a dogsbody?" (Rutherford, G. 2008, p 207).//
 * Inclusive Education Support for Teacher Aides **

What makes a teacher's aide most effective?
This was part of another handout so may have been overlooked by Teachers Aides in the past. Have a think about these statements and see how they relate to the way you currently work. Which ones fit, which ones are not working for you at the moment, and why? What are the blocks that prevent all of them from being the norm for you? We will talk about this at our next 'gathering' in a couple of weeks.

Including Students with High Needs: School Questionnaire Responses (2) September 2012 19/09/2012
ERO questioned schools in late 2011 about their practices for including students with learning support needs. Their findings have just been published. Here is a quote they use to describe some effective practices when using teacher aides to support students. **Questions to think about:** **Teacher Aides** //"Teacher aides commonly work with a small group of students in class as part of lesson design aimed at increasing student inclusion in the peer group’s learning. **The support is discreet** so students are not overwhelmed or embarrassed. Support is used **at particular times for specific purposes within the lesson**, **linked to learning** and withdrawn for some of the time. It **focuses on maximising students’ independence** through engaging them and building their confidence. Wherever possible, the teacher and teacher aide will at least have **shared planning or discussed the lesson and their roles beforehand**. Support is delivered by **adults who understand each student’s individual needs, targets, learning objectives and expected learning outcomes**, and know how to help students to achieve them."// (p11)
 * How does this resonate with the way you are expected to work in your current school?
 * Could this work for you and the student(s) you support? How?
 * Are the conditions described (e.g. shared planning) available to you?
 * What could you do to address the gaps?

Ministry of Education Resources for TAs
1. On the MoE website there is a page dedicated to describing what a Teacher's Aide does and the way they work with learners. Some of the suggested ways of working are worth thinking about when you reflect on your own ways of working in schools. 2. MoE has a significant resource specifically aimed at identifying the Teacher Aide / Kaiāwhina Roles and Responsibilities

3. A shorter information pamphlet is also available that describes the role so teachers and caregivers are able to understand it better

Teacher Aide for a day
I know this is on other pages but let's make sure everything we can goes here that relates to TAs too.

Diploma for Education Support Workers
Want to increase your qualifications in this area? Massey now offers a Diploma for Education Support Workers and this is available from PN or through distance learning for 2013.