Transcript Developing Effective Relationships in the Classroom

Developing Effective
Relationships in the Classroom
Mandy Jenkins and Lucy Green
Reasons for research
May 2008 Lesley asked us to complete
research for the Education Effectiveness
Service.
 We were asked because we had both
recently completed inspections.
 We were funded by a G.T.C.W. grant and
were going to have 6 weeks out of
school.

Our Brief
To arrange visits to as many primary,
secondary and special schools as
possible.
 To interview teaching assistants and
class teachers about their collaborative
practices.
 Our focus was to be mainly on S.E.N.
support in the classroom.

Our research
We visited 23 schools.
 We interviewed 54 Teaching Assistants
and 14 teachers.
 We sent out questionnaires to all primary
schools in Swansea and analysed the
results.
 We received 150 completed
questionnaires.

The role of the Teaching Assistant.

What is the role of the Teaching
Assistant in your classroom?
Teaching Assistant Responses
94 % of T.A.s felt that they were aware of
what was expected of them at all times.
 Main responsibility was their designated
pupil or a small group of identified
children.
 28 % of Teaching Assistants had never
seen their child’s I.E.P..

Teaching Assistant Responses

T.A.s who were involved in setting targets and
completing I.E.P.s felt more ownership of the
documents.
 Most T.A.s felt that working with a wider group
of children than their designated child
enhanced the all the children’s learning
experience. T.A.s have used programmes
designed for their child with a wider group e.g.
Speech and Language, Transition work, D.C.D
programmes.
Group Discussion
In your groups, discuss areas where
support staff may take the lead or work
particularly well alongside the teacher.
 List these on the paper given.
 Can you also discuss and note areas in
your school where collaborative or T.A.
led activities have not worked as well as
you would have wished.

Planning and Evaluating as a Team.
Practices here varied hugely from school
to school.
 37 % of T.A.s felt they had no input into
planning and evaluating. Lack of
involvement had a detrimental effect on
supporting the children’s development.
 T.A.s who were included in planning
were more aware of how they fitted in to
the whole classroom.

Planning and Evaluating as a Team.
T.A.s who were involved felt generally
more valued and empowered.
 T.A.s who were involved in planning
could offer suggestions for differentiation
and prepare appropriate materials.
 T.A.s were willing to create resources but
they just needed advance notice of their
tasks.

Planning and Evaluating as a Team.
Many T.A.s were happy to take more
responsibility within the classroom.
 Only 16% of T.A.s felt that at times they
had been given too much responsibility.

T.A.s role in the whole school.
Most T.A.s felt that their role extended
into the wider school community.
 A few T.A.s ran lunchtime or after school
clubs, nurture groups and organised
P.T.A. events.
 81% of T.A.s felt that the school utilized
their skills fully but conversely 19 % felt
that their skills were under-utilized.

T.A.s role in the whole school.
“Some skills are lying dormant, some are
used to the maximum. Classrooms can
be insular and people’s skills can stop
within that classroom.”
 Many T.A.s felt that given the current pay
gradings, staff on higher levels of pay
should take greater responsibility within
the school.

Addressing difficulties.
Most T.A.s were aware of who to go to
for advice although that was not always
their line manager.
 29% of T.A.s felt that they received less
respect from the children than the
teacher.
 T.A.s felt that their position was
undermined by needing to ask the
teacher about classroom routines.

Addressing Difficulties

In some schools all staff were referred to
as teachers. This helped to strengthen
relationships between staff.
Status of the T.A.

Some T.A.s felt that during break times or
Golden Time they often encountered children
who showed them less respect than they
showed a teacher. This made them less willing
to become involved in activities out of the
classroom.
 One T.A. said “The children do not show the
TAs enough respect and this must be school
led”.
 An ethos of inclusivity is vital in promoting the
role of the TA.
Status of the T.A.
Some T.A.s said that the children had to
check with the teacher if they needed to
leave the classroom to go to the toilet or
if they had finished their work.
 This inevitably impacted on the children’s
perception of them.

Impact of pay levels
Almost all TAs felt that they would be
more willing to help with out of hours
activities if their hourly rate of pay was
higher.
 There was a strong feeling that the
ultimate test of how they were valued lay
in their pay slip.

Communication within the school
Many T.A.s felt that they were not made
aware of changes in the school day.
They were not aware of special events
and arrangements such as assemblies,
concerts, shows etc.
 To remedy this some schools operate a
weekly diary sheet which goes to all staff
or a What’s On Magazine.

Communication within the school

Other good practice was a diary board
in the staff room, a liaison TA who
attended staff meetings and a 10 minute
whole school staff meeting at the
beginning of each week.
Group Discussion

Discuss ways you promote good
communication between all staff in your
school.
Working Relationships between the
T.A. and the teacher.
We saw many examples of good working
relationships.
 Many of the staff interviewed felt that the
talents of the TA enrich the curriculum.
 The more inclusive schools had the best
collaborative working.

Working Partnerships

“Everybody here includes everybody
else and everyone is valued.
Everybody’s opinion is valued and this
includes the T.A. and the children.”
Working Partnerships
We found that when the working
relationship is working well T.A.s can
help more than just their nominated child
and have an impact on many less able
children within a class making it easier
for the teacher to differentiate.
 The T.A.s knowledge and experience
can complement the knowledge and
experience of the class teacher.

Working Partnerships

However, when the skills of the T.A. are
not recognised T.A.s can feel
underutilized and undervalued.
Working Partnerships
In terms of length of service the longest
serving teacher had 30 years experience
whilst the longest length of service for a
T.A. was 10 years.
 Many T.A.s were qualified teachers or
had a NNEB qualification. Many T.A.s felt
that they had varied life skills acquired
from working in a variety of work
settings.

Working Partnerships

Some T.A.s felt that they contributed to
the pastoral care of the child and
provided emotional back up for
vulnerable children.
Training Needs
Most T.A.s felt that their own class
teacher did not need any training in
managing adults in the classroom.
 However many felt that the TA’s role
could vary from teacher to teacher and
there was a need for more consistency.
 Sometimes supply teachers failed to
show TAs adequate respect.

Training Needs

T.A.s can be overused for administrative and
non-teaching type tasks and this could be to
the detriment of the statemented child.
 Some teachers felt that NQTs would benefit
from training in the use of TAs in the
classroom.
 Several interviewees pointed out that Early
Years and Infant teachers are more
accustomed to extra adults in the classroom
than their junior and secondary counterparts.
Areas for development
Many T.A.s felt that more time for
planning and reflection would enhance
working partnerships.
 Some T.A.s felt that if they were more
informed about planning they could plan
differentiated activities both for their
nominated and child and the less able
children within the classroom.

Areas for development
If they were more involved in planning
the T.A.s could break work into smaller
chunks, research topics for themselves
and pre-teach to children with speech
and language difficulties.
 One T.A. was given time out of the
classroom during the teacher’s P.P.A.
time to plan and liaise with the class
teacher.

Areas for development

Some T.A.s felt that teachers needed to be
more aware, when planning, of the time the
T.A. needs to withdraw the child and work on a
specific program set by the specialist teacher.
 Many T.A.s said they came into school early to
plan in their own time.
 However many teachers expressed concern
that bearing in mind levels of pay was it fair to
expect T.A.s to plan in their own time without
pay.
Good Practice
Daily assembly time given for joint
planning between the teacher and the
T.A..
 In one school the T.A. wrote a weekly
evaluation for the class teacher and this
informed her planning for the following
week.

Suggestions which were made for
improving relationships:
More feedback given from staff meeting.
 Schools should share good practice in
terms of good working models.
 T.A.s should be included in G.T.C.W.
grants.
 T.A.s and teachers should go on team
building days to enhance working
relationships.

Suggestion which were made for
improving relationships:
A newsletter for T.A.s should be sent out
throughout the county so that T.A.s are
more aware of current developments,
good practice and training opportunities.
 Promoting a culture of respect for all the
school community .
 General financial overview to value the
role of the T.A..

Training and professional
development
T.A.s were not broadly in favour of
having performance management
targets.
 75% of T.A.s felt that Peer Mentoring
would be beneficial.
 Many T.A.s felt that they would value the
opportunity to meet up in cluster groups
and share good practice.

Training and professional
development

T.A.s were inconsistent about whether they
would like to share training opportunities with
teachers. Many T.A.s said that it would be
dependent on the course.
 T.A.s asked for more training on specific
S.E.N. difficulties and I.C.T.. Many T.A.s said
that they had benefitted from Inset training
which had taken place within their own school.
Ideas for the Induction of new T.A.s

T.A.s should be given the opportunity to
shadow an experienced T.A..
 T.A.s should be given training on using the
photocopier, the digital camera, the fax
machine and the laminator.
 A handbook should be devised to support the
induction process.
 T.A.s should have the chance to meet the
parents of their 1:1 child, the specialist teacher
and therapists.
Group discussion

In groups discuss 3 areas in which you
feel your T.A.s would benefit from extra
training.
Teaching Assistant’s File
Over the course of our six week
sabbatical, we saw many excellent
examples of record keeping and the
organisation of information.
 The best files included: The child’s I.E.P.
 A record sheet to be filled in by all
agencies involved.

Teaching Assistant’s File
A list of all agencies, individuals,
telephone numbers and addresses of
people who are involved with the child.
 A brief, clear pen portrait of the child,
their strengths and difficulties, along with
a recent photograph.
 Pieces of work and photographs which
clearly address the IEP targets or the
targets on their therapy programs.

The Way Forward

A newsletter informing Teaching
Assistants of good practice, training
opportunities and new initiatives should
be produced by a practicing teaching
assistant and circulated to all teaching
assistants in Swansea
The Way Forward
There should be opportunities for T.A.
networking meetings on a termly basis.
 There should be a re-think of the location
of training venues ensuring that venues
are easily accessible by public transport.

The Way Forward

Head teachers, teachers and teaching
assistants should be innovative with the
school day so there is time built in for
planning and evaluation between teacher
and teaching assistant.
The Way Forward

There should be opportunities for
teaching assistants to participate in
school swaps to enhance their S.E.N.
experience.
The Way Forward

There should be opportunities for in-house training for
T.A.s on I.T, Welsh, S.E.N., issues, First Aid and
Managing Behaviour. There could be benefits in
training one member of staff in each school or each
comprehensive cluster group and then that member of
staff rolls the training out in their own school. Adopting
this practice may be a way of improving the
consistency of training provided to T.A.s throughout
the country.
The Way Forward

An induction package should be developed
which allows for new teaching assistants to
shadow experienced teaching assistants.
 Induction training should be prompt , practical
and pertinent.
 An induction booklet should be available
which allows for differences in working
practices in different schools but gives an
insight into important issues which new
teaching assistants need to address.
The Way Forward

There needs to be a way of accessing funds to
enable well qualified teaching assistants to
come out of school and share their expertise
with their colleagues and also research ways
that working relationships between teachers
and teaching assistants can be enhanced.
 Teaching assistants need to be able to fund
future training opportunities and also fund
visits to other settings to share good practice.

Our research would have been improved
if we had had the funding for an
experienced T.A. to join us with our
research.