Orientation - Student Learning Support and Playground Duties (4)

A guide to starting as a teacher aide in Queensland

Starting a career as a teacher aide can be daunting. To help orient and induct you, this series of blog posts will cover:

1. Context and Governance

2. Pre-employment Preparation

3. Union membership, Induction and Training

4. Student Learning Support and Playground Duties

5. Professional Development

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Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash

Student Learning Support

*Here is a list of learning support strategies.*

Evidence for Learning provides guidelines for effective teacher aide support. Their recommendations are as follows:

1. Teacher aides should not be used as an informal teaching resource for students who are low attaining.

   1. When low attaining students are grouped with a teacher aide in-class, this stigmatises and embarrasses the students, which impacts their ability to learn.

2. Teacher aides should supplement what teachers do, not replace them.

   1. Increasingly teacher aides are being utilised to meet gaps during the teacher shortage, particularly when there is a substitute teacher.

      This - while generated from an abundance of concern for your students - is actually ineffective, and potentially harmful to student learning.

      1. ALL students but especially those with additional needs, should have the teacher as their primary instructor.

3. Teacher aides should help students develop independent learning skills and manage their own learning.

   1. I know I’m certainly guilty of doing too much but we need to think in terms of what’s best for the student, not what’s best for our ego and validation.

      Ensure that you:

      1. start with the least amount of assistance, and work from there;

      2. leave space for thinking and move away from the student;

      3. let the student speak;

      4. let the student have a break;

      5. focus on developing student ownership of task, not task completion;

      6. are careful of what you say, and how it might impact the student.

4. Teacher aides should be fully prepared for their role in the classroom.

   1. Ideally, a teacher aide should have access to a Teams page/Learning Management System, so they can see what is being covered and can prepare;

   2. Teacher aides should make time before class to check-in with teacher, tidy the classroom, and ask how to best be of service;

   3. Teacher aides should check-in at the end of the lesson, particularly around observations of students, discuss issues, and any reporting requirements.

5. Teacher aides are most impactful when delivering high quality one-to-one and small group support using structured interventions out-of-class.

   1. This can add between 3-4 additional months’ progress for students;

   2. Unstructured and informal interventions can be detrimental to student outcomes.

6. Teacher aides should adopt evidence-based interventions if taking students out of class.

   1. Teacher aides should receive extensive training on a structured intervention, ideally with teacher or trainer;

   2. Sessions should be brief (15-45 mins), occur regularly (3-5 times per week) and are maintained consistently (between 8-20 weeks);

   3. Need structured support resources, plans and objectives;

   4. Important to undertake needs-based assessment, and target support to student need.

7. Teacher aides should make explicit connections between their out-of-class interventions and classroom teaching.

   1. Students are not always aware of why they’re being taken out of class.

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Further to these recommendations, I have a few of my own:

1. Establish your baseline

2. You are supporting people, not the curriculum

   1. Your job is to support people - students with additional needs, teachers, colleagues and everyone else in the class;

   2. Build relationships first, adapt to the needs of the person;

   3. Lead with empathy and privilege student voice - make sure students are heard.

3. The teacher leads the class

   1. Understand that letting another person into the classroom, is an act of vulnerability for the teacher - you are witness to their practice, successes, mistakes and sometimes ill-treatment;

   2. Back-up the teacher - students will try to play you off the teacher, but make sure you re-emphasise that the teacher is in charge of the class;

      1. Don’t undermine the teacher, if you need to question something, do it after class.

4. Every class and teacher is different

   1. Just because one teacher does something in one class, doesn’t mean you can expect to do the same for a different class. This applies even to the same year and subject. Treat each class as a discrete entity.

5. Be flexible and prepared

   1. Sometimes teachers will throw to you for an answer, opinion, anecdote, story, dance, song, brain break - go with it. Even if you make a fool of yourself, this role models to the students that they don’t have to be perfect.

6. Have fun!

   1. Teacher aides are not responsible for managing behaviour, they only support behaviour management.

      1. This means that you have a special place in the classroom; you get to be the fun and understanding one. Enjoy it! Get to know your student’s interests, backgrounds, sayings.

Playground Duties

When supervising students during breaks, this is where safety comes to the forefront. Here are relevant Workplace, Health and Safety Acts, Regulations and Codes of Practice:

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011

• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011

• Building Act 1975 and By-laws (local authority)

• Child Protection Act 1999 (Department of Child Safety)

• Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian Act 2000

• Education and Care Services Act 2013

• Environmental Protection Act 1994 (local authority/Environmental Protection Agency)

• Fire and Rescue Service Act 1990 (Department of Emergency Services)

• Food Act 2006, Food Regulation 2006

• Manual Tasks Involving the Handling of People Code of Practice 2001

• Prevention of Workplace Harassment Code of Practice 2004

• Queensland Children and Young Workers Code of Practice 2006

• Queensland Work Health and Safety Act 2011

• Queensland Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011

• Water Act 2000 (local authority)

• Workplace, Health and Safety Act 1995 (Department of Employment and Industrial Relations).

What do I do?

• Pay attention, intervene early if you notice that tensions are escalating;

  • Read students non-verbal communication and check-in;

• Be pro-active and report hazards right away;

• Talk to the students - it’s not often we get to relate to students outside of the classroom so make the most of it;

• Have fun - play games, sing, dance, volunteer for lunchtime clubs;

• Role-model behaviour expectations, treat students with respect; make sure students are respecting others and their environment;

  • Lastly, a controversial take, but I believe students have a right to a break, so am less concerned with policing low-level behaviour and more concerned with ensuring that they’re safe.

Contact me via teacheraideqld@gmail.com or comment below.

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