Supporting and Supervising your Teaching Assistant

Jill Morgan has worked with Teaching Assistants for the last 14 years both in the US and the UK. She currently teaches on the Foundation Degree in Learning Support at Swansea Institute of Higher Education, UK (SIHE), and is also an Independent Education and Training Consultant. Betty Ashbaker has been developing and delivering training for Teaching Assistants and their supervising teachers for the last 14 years. Formerly an elementary school teacher, Betty is now a senior lecturer at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, USA.

• Introduction1. Supervising the classroom team- who are you responsible for?- what is supervision?- government/legal guidelines2. Delegating responsibilities- analysis of what can be delegated (within law, reason, preferences and purpose of school)- job descriptions for each TA based on their skills, training, experience, children's needs and legal contraints3. Accountability- monitoring the quality of the TA's work- methods of observation and monitoring- setting priorities for improvement4. Providing continuous professional development- treating your TA as an adult learner- making professional resources available- evidencing development (portfolios, etc)- NOS/HLTA standards5. Reflective practice- being a reflective practitioner- helping your TA become a reflective practitioner6. Communication- you and the TA- TA and TATA and other teachers7. Logistics- time (to prepare, plan, meet etc.)- evaluation- advocating for your TAConclusionAppendixrecommended readinguseful websites/organisations - for teacher and TAs