Teaching_Assistant_L3_Assignment_1

(1) Describe how you might contribute to a lesson given to a group of seven year old children learning to play percussion instruments. In this lesson my role would be to make sure all the instruments are available. That the instruments are safe and clean to use. All the resources and materials needed for the lesson are prepared beforehand, e.g. music sheets must be prepared beforehand and I must also make extra copies just in case some get damaged. I should supervise children; check that the instruments are being used correctly and that the pupils are not causing any damage to them or other pupils. Pupils who have difficulties holding the instruments must be supported; it is my job as the teaching assistant to provide that extra support for the children. Before the lesson I should familiarise myself with the equipment so that I can answer all the children’s questions effectively. As the other adult in the lesson it is important for me to be a good role model for the children, I can do this by showing the children how to use the instrument safely and correctly, also I’ll have to repeat my instructions so that I know the children have a clear understanding of how to use the instrument. I will be encouraging children to put the instruments back in their place, carefully and tidily at the end of the lesson. During the lesson I will also have to be observant of all the children so that I can give feedback to the teacher, and pint out the difficulties some children were having and the preferences of the children. At the end I’ll have to make sure all the equipment is back in place and report any damages to the teacher or the person in charge of the instruments. (2) What might be your role be in organising, using and maintaining the learning resources, materials and equipment' As the teaching assistant it is my job role to make sure all the learning resources and materials are ready to be used and available for lessons. I should find out from the class teacher about my role and responsibilities in regards to the learning resources organisation. All the materials should be checked for safety before being used and must be clean and in their right places as agreed by the teacher. All the learning resources and materials should be easy to locate by the teacher and the children. I should encourage children to put all the equipment back in their original places so that they can be found again easily next time they need to be used for a lesson. As the teaching assistant I need to prepare and set the learning resources in line with preparation requirements given to me by the teacher. It is important to keep and maintain a complete and accurate inventory of all resources within the classroom, this way I can report any shortage of materials to the teacher and also report any damages. (3) What aspects of safety would you consider' The safety aspects I would need to consider are that all the equipment being used is safe for the children and environment. I need to follow relevant manufacturer instructions and health and safety requirements when preparing materials for use. I should check environmental conditions as well, and adapt them if they are with in my control, e.g. for a science lesson, if the room temperature had to be for a certain temperature I would adjust the dial to get the right temperature for the lesson to avoid any accidents and interruptions during the lesson. In an ICT lesson, or whenever we need to use the computers I must make sure the firewall is walking and that the children cannot access any inappropriate sites on the internet. The children should be directed to the appropriate sites and discouraged from accessing inappropriate materials. I need to report any concerns I have about the safety of equipment to the appropriate person. As the teaching assistant I need to ensure safe use of all equipment’s at all times, I would need to work with the teacher to determine how the learning resources should be set up to promote the safety of the children at all times. I will familiarise myself with the location of first aid boxes, fire extinguishers, alarms etc. Just in case of any emergencies. (4) Describe how you act in class in order to be effective role model for the standards of behaviour expected in pupils. As a teaching assistant my behaviour would be looked upon by the pupils as well as the teacher, so it is essential to promote positive behaviour in the beginning to avoid any behavioural problems that may occur in the future. If the staffs across school have effective leadership, this will help to ensure consistent good teaching is helping to promote positive behaviour. To gain the respect of the children I should always encourage and influence them to achieve their full potential. I can do this by praising them, and showing my support for them. I should show them that their ideas are valued and listen to their needs so in return they listen in the lessons and do not get tempted to misbehave and disrupt the lesson and other pupils. To promote positive behaviour amongst the children themselves I will need to encourage them to work together and share with each other, I’ll have to see that they are not always working with the same children in the group, as this can leave a negative impact on the pupils and they may form gangs in the future. I need to ensure the school rules are being followed at all times when performing tasks, I need to encourage the children to pay attention and concentrate on the tasks. By getting children to follow the school rules all the time, they will understand them better and will involve themselves more with the school rules, this will be a positive impact on the behaviour, as other pupils will also feel encouraged to follow the school rules as their fellow pupils are doing. (5) What strategies might you employ to encourage pupils to behave appropriately' Describe how you might react to incidents of bullying and violence. To encourage all pupils to behave appropriately I would get them involved in making the classroom rules as they are more responsive to rules they have helped to create. I would always encourage good standards of behaviour to all the children, and reward all good behaviour as this would always motivate them to behave in an appropriate way that follows the school behaviour policy as well as the classroom rules they have helped to create. When creating the rules with the children I will make clear that bullying is not tolerated. If, there was any suspicion of bullying I would make the environment secure and safe so pupils can report any incidents of bullying and would keep the information confidential. I would also hold class tutorials with the help and support of the teacher to raise awareness of bullying and the negative effects it can have on the learning environment. I would encourage all children to report any incidents of bullying they have witnessed or even if they feel they are a victim of bullying. I would respond calmly with all the incidents reported and listen to the pupil intently, so they also have the confidence that it will be getting dealt with straight away. I would assure the pupil bullying is taken very seriously and will do everything we can to protect them and support them, to make the pupil feel even more secure and safe at school I would suggest more supervision during break times to avoid any inappropriate behaviour in the future. (6) Describe how you might appropriately observe the physical abilities and skills of a nine year old boy. Before actually sitting down to observe the pupil I need to be prepared beforehand. I will need all my observation materials, and I will also need to check that schedule if free to make the observation as my full attention needs to be fully focused on the pupil. The observation needs to be done in the course of their daily routine at school. From the minute the pupil is aware they are being observed it aggravates them to act out of character which does not give a true picture of their ability. While the observation is taking place, the pupil should not be disturbed, so that the strengths and weaknesses can be identified and also it will prove a clear picture of how they respond to the resources being used. I will observe the social and emotional skills of how they relate to others around them and their use of language whilst talking to the other pupils and how they communicate with them. Also whilst observing them I will get an idea on their interests and preferences. (7) What form might your record take, and what factors might you have to consider' There are many methods of observation but as I will be observing the physical abilities I will be using the method called time-sampling. I will be recording what the pupil was trying to do and what help they seemed to need. I will need to note the time and date down, as this will help me track the child’s development over a period of time. Whilst making the record I should be consistent, I shouldn’t make assumptions, I shouldn’t be judgemental and I shouldn’t be intrusive. As the teaching assistant I should be certain on the records I am making to make sure the pupil can do what I have witnessed and that it is not a one-off. This may mean repetitive observation throughout a period of time before making a final assessment.