Unit_210

Unit 210 Support learning activities Outcome 1 Support the teacher in planning learning activities In order to support the teacher it is important that as a teaching assistant you are involved in the planning process of how the lesson will be delivered, reviewing and evaluating how the children progressed during the lesson. Often teachers plan for lessons in advance; therefore you may only be involved in the planning through an informal discussion with the teacher at the start of the day or the start of the lesson. It is important to allow this time before the lesson to ensure the teaching assistant is aware of what is expected of them and how best to the support the child/children. If you have the opportunity to be involved in the planning stage you may be able to put forward any ideas if you have any particular strength in a certain area. Having strength in a certain area allows you to feel confident when assisting a child/sm #lall group therefore creating a positive atmosphere in order for them to feel keen to learn. It is also important to identify a weakness before supporting the learning activity to allow you the time to understand exactly what is required. As a teaching assistant you are in a position that you can advise a teacher during the planning stage as to the different levels of learning that some children may be at. Therefore you can adapt the planning to suit the child’s learning style and level. In some circumstances it is important to obtain information required to support learning activities such as: * Learning objectives * Resources required * Your role * Specific information/instruction for the activity This information also allows you to obtain resources that are not always accessible within the class e.g.; laptops, cooking equipment or weights. By having these resources ready you reduce the time spent setting up the activity and impacting on the child/children’s learning. This also allows you time to familiarise yourself with the equipment and detect any problems before introducing the activity to the children. Outcome 5 Support the evaluation of learning activities Evaluating the learning activity is just as important as the planning as it allows you to provide feedback to the teacher. It also gives you the opportunity to evaluate your approach such as; * How well the activity was carried out' * How you measure the success of the activity' * What didn’t go well' * What could you change' The evaluation also assists the child/children to recognise the learning objectives of the activity and allows them to measure what they have learnt. You need to ensure the feedback you provide to the teacher is constructive as this enables the teacher to measure how much support is/was needed during certain activities. It is not always possible straight after an activity to have a conversation with the teacher; therefore you may need to write down any observations or thoughts which can be read at a suitable time during the day. Sometimes while carrying out an activity, it is possible to run into difficulties which may be caused by environment, lack of resources, support or pupil behaviour. Therefore ensuring you have good communication with the teacher will enable you to be honest about any problems which may be down to planning or the activity not engaging enough for the child/children. Not only should the feedback be regarding the learning objectives but also the children’s participation and any progress throughout the activity. You may be asked to record your findings/comments in the child’s book alongside your initials or even an acknowledgement that support was given. Outcome 6 Evaluate own practice in relation to supporting literacy, numeracy and ICT In order to provide the best possible support to the children it is important that as a teaching assistant you have a good level of competence in literacy, numeracy and ICT. This will also enhance your confidence when working with the children. If you identify a weakness in any of these areas it is essential that you seek support for additional training. This support can come from many different areas such as: * Local college courses * Fellow teaching assistants * Tutor/Assessor On a personal level since taking on the role as a teaching assistant I have identified a lack of knowledge /understanding in literacy. I took the opportunity to discuss this with the teacher who has recommended a school booklet which outlines all the basic language used during a literacy lesson. Numeracy skills have improved due to detailed introductions by the teacher at the start of the session. This has allowed me greater understanding of what the learning objective is and how best to support the pupils. The weakness I feel I have in ICT is the school’s system, so in order to gain a better understanding of the system I have requested a few hours support from the ICT specialist with the school. Additional part for 1.3 The National Curriculum is a framework used by all maintained schools to ensure that teaching and learning is balanced and consistent. It sets out: * the subjects taught * the knowledge, skills and understanding required in each subject * standards or attainment targets in each subject - teachers can use these to measure children’s progress and plan the next steps in their learning * how the children’s progress is assessed and reported Within the framework of the National Curriculum, schools are free to plan and organise teaching and learning in the way that best meets the needs of their pupils. An example of this was clear is a recent topic studied by Year 5 in Geography. The topic was ‘The Weather’. The outcome of this was that the children were able to identify the different continents, mountain ranges and their weather climates. Additional part for 1.4 It is important to be given advanced noticed/discussion with the teacher of the lesson plan to ensure that you understand your role during the session. I recently begun working on a one to one basis with child A every day for 30 minutes. Before I was given this role I had a meeting with the teacher outlining the child’s learning disability and the areas requiring additional support. Also throughout the year the teacher and I meet with outside agencies who offer support and advice or how best to support child A. At the start of each session I have a brief discussion with the teacher where I outline my objectives for the session. This also allows input from the teacher as to areas they wish me to focus on and time for me to access any resources required e.g. tape player, laptop, white board or reading sacks. After each session I record what activities we have done and how child A found the session. Additional part for 1.5 Technology plays a huge part in a child’s day to day learning; this may come from the interactive whiteboard used by the teacher and on some occasions the children. Each classroom has a digital camera which allows activities to be recorded for visual aids and record of achievements. We also have programmable toys which allow the children to understand and input instructions. Additional part for 3.4/5.3 You are likely to occur problems while supporting learning activities from: * learning resources * learning environment * learning activities * the learner Resources Such as pencils, paper, activity sheets, textbooks, laptops etc. Often these things may be in short supply or require children to share therefore it is important to ensure you have a large number of resources to hand to avoid any potential problems that may arise. Environment Often when supporting small groups/individual children you may be required to work outside of the classroom. This can cause problems with insufficient space to work depending on the size of the group or equipment being used. Noise level and room temperature can be a distraction inside the classroom and you may be required to seek an alternative environment. As the children grow the size of the furniture needs to be altered therefore it is important to be aware that the chairs/desks and age appropriate. Large classroom sizes can cause issues within the classroom, because adult supervision can be more interesting to other children than what they should be doing. Activities During activities with the children you may find that the task you are supporting may be too easy for some children and too hard for others. Therefore you may need to adapt the task to allow the less able children to achieve or more of a challenge to the more able children. If you are supporting an activity with multi ability children it is important to have additional work ready to allow the children who have completed the work sooner to continue their learning rather than waiting and possibly distracting the other pupils. Learners Poor behaviour, low self esteem and lack of concentration can affect the ability for a child to achieve. So ensuring good behaviour is praised, work is set at the right level and positive reassurance that they can achieve. Making yourself approachable will help the child feel they can talk to you if there is a problem at home or within the school that the child feels they are unable to deal with. Outcome 4 Observe and report on learner participation and progress I have attached an extract taken from a child’s book who I work with on a one to one basis each day. During each session I record what tasks we have undertaken and encourage the child to use this book to show the teacher/headmaster the improvements and goals achieved. Extract dated 30.3.11 Child A is a very good reader and enjoys reading lots of books therefore I encourage her to read to me every day to ensure she familiars herself with lots of different stories and new words. Also child A is given weekly spellings which are to be learnt at home and at school each day. Therefore the spellings are a priority first thing to ensure when the test is carried out child A is aware of these words. Extract dated 4.4.11 The teaching assistant form child A’s class informed me that child A had achieved 9/10 in her spellings test. Extract dated 6.4.11 Child A was very excited to show me her tooth had finally fallen out. Knowing that within the school was a book that told the story about a little boy who lost his tooth and what happened when he went to bed. From reading the book we decided to write a letter to the tooth fairy as an activity which would encourage child A to use her fine motor skills. Extract dated 7.7.11 Following a discussion with child A’s teacher I was asked to test child A on CCV and CCVC words. Child A recorded this activity in her record book. As you can see from this compared to recent extracts her writing is much clearer, legible and more controlled. Not only was I impressed with the presentation but also the sense of achievement child A felt on getting all the words correct. Extract dated 8.7.11 During the last half term I was asked to spend more time focusing on child A’s hand writing. We started off with tall ladder letters such as t,l,k and b. I was asked to encourage child A to slow down her speed of writing and to ensure correct posture, pencil grip and use of her writing table. Outcome 2 Prepare for learning activities Within the school there is a range of different resources and areas of learning where staff has access to equipment for each subject; * science resources * DT tools * PE equipment * RE resources * Textbooks * Variety of software for computers * Musical instruments * Paints and art equipment * Maths equipment * PSHE resources Generally within our school small equipment which isn’t used every day is stored in one room where all staff has access too. This ensures that when required is can be easily located. Resources and equipment used within the classroom every day should be regularly maintained and replenished to ensure the lesson/activity can run smoothly. There will be times when resources need to be adapted or purchased for children with specific learning needs. Such as story sacks for children who need visual aids to help understand a story, writing easels for children with visual impairments. Equipment can be adapted such as using building blocks such as heavy weights, small cars instead of tape measures.