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Chapter 1
The teaching assistant as scaffolder
Introduction
In this first chapter, we would like you to complete a short self-evaluation on your current understanding of some of the key concepts covered in this book. We then give some context on the TA role and outline the particular teaching and learning role for TAs we have developed through our research, our work with schools and the training programmes we run. This makes clear what we think the roles and responsibilities of the TA and the teacher should be in relation to the pupils in their class ā this is key for establishing an effective working relationship. Finally, we introduce the scaffolding framework that structures the material in the rest of this book.
Self-evaluation
Before we continue, we would like you to evaluate your current level of understanding and skills in the areas that we cover in this book. This will help you to identify which parts of the book will be particularly helpful to you. It will also help you to track and record your learning and understanding of key concepts and issues. This will be useful not only as you work your way through the book, but when you reflect on your practice as part of your wider and on-going professional development.
In the table below, we have listed the learning outcomes this book is designed to meet. Use the key below to give yourself a score from 1 to 5 to describe your current understanding in each area and enter it in the ābeforeā column. This score is intended for your own use only, although you might choose to share it with your mentor or line manager when discussing the training and support that you need.
Key to scoring:
1 ā I do not understand this
2 ā I am not very sure about this
3 ā I have a fair idea of this
4 ā I have a good understanding of this
5 ā I fully understand this.
| Area of understanding | Before score (1ā5) | After score (1ā5) |
| The complementary roles and responsibilities of the teacher and TA in the classroom | | |
| Scaffolding as a theory | | |
| The meaning of āpupil independenceā in relation to scaffolding | | |
| What kinds of talk best support learning | | |
| Prompting, clueing and modelling as scaffolding strategies | | |
| The features of effective group work | | |
| The key issues which need to be considered when delivering intervention sessions | | |
| The TAās contribution to assessment for learning | | |
| Total score | | |
Your professional development
After you have read this book and had the opportunity to put some of the ideas into practice, revisit the table and score yourself again in the āafterā column. The intention is that you will score higher than your initial score as a result of engaging with this book. Or it might be that your perception of certain areas on which you feel secure are challenged and your understanding is reshaped by what we have to say. The self-evaluation table is a simple way of recording your assessment of your learning.
Once you have completed both columns, use the form in Appendix 1 to identify and plan a way forward for your on-going professional development. Using the form, you can first locate the general area in which you want to improve, which you can split into specific targets for practice development. You can enlist the support of other TAs and teachers in identifying areas for improvement and how your needs might be met (e.g. via training, in-school mentoring, or opportunities to observe others). You will find a worked example of the form in Appendix 2 to help you.
Introducing the pedagogical teaching assistant role
This book is about TAs in pedagogical roles. We conceptualise the pedagogical role of the TA in a very specific way, which we outline here. Before we do, it is important to recognise and accept that the TA role is not the same as that of a teacher. This might be an obvious statement, but schools can and do use TAs, and place demands on them, as if they were teachers (Blatchford, Russell and Webster, 2012). A key aim of the MITA approach described in the previous chapter is to encourage school leaders to ensure that the roles and responsibilities of teachers and TAs are clarified, clear, understood and consistently applied by all staff. Expectations and demands placed on TAs, especially in relation to learning outcomes, must also be properly calibrated.
This distinction between roles is important and recognised in the SEND Code of Practice (DfE/DoH, 2015). The Code makes it clear that the teacher is āresponsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class, including where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staffā (p. 99). It is the teacherās responsibility to know the levels of development of all of their pupils, to assess their progress and to ensure that the curriculum is accessible to pupils with SEND by appropriately differentiating tasks and putting in place alternative or additional provision where pupilsā needs demand (for example, an intervention programme). This work should be done with support from the schoolās senior lead on matters relating to SEND and inclusion (i.e. the SENCO).
We can use the stipulations set out in the Code of Practice relating to teachersā responsibilities to help us define the space in which we can identify a clear and consistent role for TAs. We argue that the TA role should be complementary to that of the teacher, with each being very clear about where their own and each otherās responsibilities lie. In this way, the TA role must be seen as making a distinct contribution to teaching and learning. This is why, throughout this book, we discuss the role of the teacher as well as the TA, in order to clarify what we consider to be the most effective role for each during episodes of teaching and learning.
As a result of the way that the TA role has developed in schools over the years, it is not unusual to find TAs who have taken on significant responsibility for the planning and assessment of pupils with SEND. However, we are clear that the TA role should not include planning for groups or individuals. It is the teacherās responsibility to ensure that the curriculum is accessible to all pupils through appropriately differentiated tasks. However, we think that TAs should be encouraged to contribute to the assessment for learning cycle through recording information about how pupils work towards specific task outcomes, and offering their thoughts and observations (see Chapter 5). To be clear, TAs should not have overall responsibility for the assessment of, or planning for, the pupils they work with.
So what should the role of the TA be? Since TAs work with small groups and individuals, they are in the unique position of being able to constantly monitor the step-by-step progress pupils make towards achieving learning goals. From this vantage point, TAs can provide immediate feedback and give targeted support with parts of the task that pupils find difficult. This is called scaffolding and it is the key to ensuring that pupils become able to work more independently. Effective scaffolding ensures that pupils are fully engaged in the task, and that potential learning is maximised. It also ensures that, over time, pupils develop the capability to carry out tasks with less or no support and have the confidence in themselves to attempt more challenging tasks.
In our studies we have set out a very clear role for the TA as a scaffolder of pupilsā learning (Radford et al., 2014; Radford et al., 2015; Bosanquet and Radford, 2019). We have found that, given a good understanding of scaffolding and its importance, TAs can be highly effective in many distinctive ways. Because TAs know the children very well (and usually sit near them), they are in a prime position to support them emotionally, keep them motivated, boost their self-esteem and keep them on-task. This is what we call the support role of the TA and it is crucial for getting children ready to learn and helping them to maintain focus. When children make mistakes (which is inevitable, regardless of their learning needs), TAs can provide the reassurance that this is a healthy part of learning and can encourage them to think for themselves to work out what to do next. They can also provide targeted support if this fails. This is what we call the repair role of the TA. Finally, we have outlined a third scaffolding responsibility, called the heuristic role, that is associated with helping children to think about learning strategies. This is essential as the TAās aim is to help children to become more autonomous and independent. You can find these roles discussed in greater detail in Radford et al. (2014).
So, we argue that the TA has a clear role in providing scaffolded support during tasks and providing the teacher with accurate feedback on the extent and type of support needed for pupils to be able to complete tasks successfully. For teachers, this type of feedback is essential for ensuring that tasks for the next lesson are appropriately targeted and build on what pupils have learned and achieved.
The role we set out for TAs in this book seeks to capitalise on the capacity TAs have for āquality talk timeā with pupils. In our conceptualisation, the TAās role, purpose and contribution is defined by the interactions they ought to have with learners. We argue that the guidance set out in this book has the potential to transform TAsā practice.
Transforming the role, purpose and contribution of TAs
We have, for some time, been among the voices calling for a nationally joined-up picture in relation to the various roles and responsibilities of TAs, which is needed to provide a clear basis for job descriptions for both TAs and teachers. Our advocacy and expertise was central to the production of national guidance for schools, published by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), on how to harness the potential of TAs (Sharples, Webster and Blatchford, 2018), and we were also involved in the development of non-statutory professional standards for TAs.1 There is good evidence that this effort is resonating with school leaders. A survey by the DfE found that almost 90 per cent of headteachers in England were aware of the EEF guidance on TAs (DfE, 2020), and independent evaluations of campaigns to roll it out across schools in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire resulted in substantial changes in attitudes and cultures relating to TA deployment (Maxwell et al., 2019).
This is, of course, really encouraging, but we know from our extensive work with schools that more work is needed to address the wider issues of organisational change. In addition, more needs to be done by local authorities, academy chains and school clusters, alliances and partnerships to provide professional development opportunities, and to facilitate the sharing of good practice. Despite this progress, TAs still do not have an entitlement to on-going high-quality training, which is targeted to the needs of individuals and the specifics of their role. For TAs with a pedagogical role, this means opportunities to learn and practise specific scaffolding strategies.
We are of the view that improving the way TAs interact with pupils will help to create for them a new professional identity. The basis for this identity will come from evidence that their specific contribution to learning can be directly associated with improved pupil outcomes. A clear role and purpose underpinning TAsā contributions can also raise their status and value in schools.
The aim of this book is to give TAs the tools to begin to improve their own practice as part of this vision. However, as we indicated earlier, action is required at all levels of the education system to fully transform the role, purpose and contribution of TAs.
Of course, change on this scale will take time, but this does not mean TAs have to wait until these conditions are met to receive training. We want TAs to be recognised as highly skilled professionals, and take control of developing their ...
