The seven recommendations are arranged in three sections:
The effective use of TAs under everyday classroom conditions – Recommendations 1 – 4
The effective use of TAs in delivering structured interventions out of class – Recommendations 5 and 6
Integrating learning from work led by teachers and TAs – Recommendations 7
Recommendation 1: TAs should not be used as an informal teaching resource for students who are low attaining.
Recommendation 2: Use TAs to supplement what teachers do, not replace them.
Recommendation 3: Use TAs to help students develop independent learning skills and manage their own learning.
Recommendation 4: Ensure TAs are fully prepared for their role in the classroom.
Recommendation 5: Use TAs to deliver high quality one-to-one and small group support using structured interventions.
Recommendation 6: Adopt evidence-based interventions to support TAs in their small group and one-to-one instruction.
Recommendation 7: Ensure explicit connections are made between learning from everyday classroom teaching and structured interventions.
Evidence for Learning has produced another Guidance Report Putting evidence to work: a school’s guide to implementation which can be used as a guide as you plan to implement TA changes in your school.
Implementation can be described as a series of stages relating to thinking about, preparing for, delivering, and sustaining change. The section ‘Acting on the evidence’, suggests a range of strategies that you might find helpful in planning, structuring and delivering a whole‑school approach to improving the use of teaching assistants.
1. In line with common usage, we use the term ‘teaching assistant’ (TA) to cover equivalent classroom- and student-based paraprofessional roles, such as ‘learning support assistant’, ‘teachers aide’ and ‘classroom assistant’. We also include ‘higher level teaching assistants’ in this definition.
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