Teaching assistant and pupil interactions: The role of repair and topic management in scaffolding learning

Bosanquet, Paula; Radford, Julie

doi:10.1111/bjep.12231

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Elsewhere, analyses by Rubie-Davies, Blatchford, Webster, Koutsoubou, and Bassett (2010) found that TAs are more concerned with task completion and correction than learning. Similar issues have been found in literacy intervention ses sions led by TAs (Bosanquet & Radford, 2018).…”

Section: If Pupil Factors Cannot Explain the Negative Relationship Be...supporting

confidence: 68%

Preparing Teaching Assistants for Including All Learners

Webster¹,

Bosanquet²,

Blatchford³

2020

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education

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The early 21st century has seen a considerable increase in both the number and presence of teaching assistants (TAs) and learning support staff in classrooms. In the United Kingdom and elsewhere, TAs have assumed responsibility for teaching lower-attaining pupils and especially those with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). This drift has occurred in a largely uncritical way and has attracted little attention because of the attendant benefits additional adult support has for teachers. However, evidence from research in the United Kingdom and the United States have revealed troubling and unintended consequences of this arrangement in terms of impeding pupil progress and increasing the likelihood of pupils’ dependency on adult support. Of particular concern are research findings that show how a high amount of support from TAs for pupils with high-level SEND leads to a qualitatively different experience of schooling compared to pupils without SEND, particularly in terms of having fewer interactions with teachers and peers. Heavy reliance on the employment and deployment of TAs to facilitate the inclusion of pupils with often complex learning difficulties in mainstream settings can be seen as a proxy for long-standing and unresolved questions about how teachers are prepared and trained to meet the learning needs of those with SEND and the priority school leaders give to SEND. Future efforts to meaningfully educate pupils with SEND in mainstream schools must attend to teachers’ confidence and competence in respect of this aim. In addition, extensive and collaborative work with schools in the United Kingdom is offering a more hopeful model of how TAs can supplement this endeavor. Improving how teachers deploy TAs and how TAs interact with pupils, together with addressing persistent problems relating to the way TAs are trained and prepared for their roles in classrooms, schools can unlock the potential of the TA workforce as part of a wider, more inclusive approach for disadvantaged pupils.

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Section: If Pupil Factors Cannot Explain the Negative Relationship Be...supporting

confidence: 68%

Preparing Teaching Assistants for Including All Learners

Webster¹,

Bosanquet²,

Blatchford³

2020

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education

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“…In addition to that, the provision of additional support for teachers and students such as teaching assistants or temporary/permanent team teaching should be reviewed. In this context, not only teaching assistants' or additional teachers' frequency of their presence and work in the classroom should be investigated, but also their role when being present which can have an significant impact on teachers' pedagogical decision making and students' perception and experience of classroom processes (Radford et al, 2015;Wren, 2017;Bosanquet and Radford, 2019). Interestingly, in classes with a higher number of female students, profile 2 is more common compared to profile 3.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differentiation and Grouping Practices as a Response to Heterogeneity – Teachers’ Implementation of Inclusive Teaching Approaches in Regular, Inclusive and Special Classrooms

et al. 2021

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Addressing students’ individual needs is a crucial component of inclusive teaching. However, empirical evidence comparing practices such as differentiation and grouping strategies within inclusive, regular and special classes is still lacking. The present study contrasts these settings using data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Data from 1034 teachers (755 regular, 89 inclusive, 190 special teachers) teaching the subject German in secondary school (grade 5 to grade 8) were used. Results show the highest use of differentiation in special school classes. Teachers’ use the majority of grouping practices to a similar extent when comparing the three educational settings. Class size and the number of students with migration background were predictors for teachers’ use of differentiation, whereas patterns of grouping strategies were predicted by students’ gender and teachers’ experience.

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“…TAs have been deployed to facilitate inclusion for children with SEND and as an informal instructional resource for pupils in need (Sharples, Webster, and Blatchford 2018). Concerns raised as TAs take on these responsibilities include inadequate preparation and training (Sharples, Webster, and Blatchford 2018;Bosanquet and Radford 2019); individual attention and support for pupils with SEND potentially leading to lack of progress and less inclusive opportunities (Webster et al 2010). The Deployment and Impact of Support Staff (DISS) project examined TA support for pupils with SEND (Webster et al 2010) and revealed such unintentional consequences as greater separation from teachers and the curriculum as a result of missed opportunities, due mainly to separate workstations, and limited inclusive experiences for some children.…”

Section: Teaching Assistantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inclusive pedagogy through the lens of primary teachers and teaching assistants in England

Losberg

Zwozdiak-Myers

2021

International Journal of Inclusive Education

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Inclusion is an expectation of all mainstream schools across England yet research into strategies concerning how teachers and teaching assistants facilitate effective inclusive practice remains limited. This study explores the enactment of Florian and Black Hawkins (2011. "Exploring Inclusive Pedagogy." British Educational Research Journal 37 (5): 813-828) approach to inclusive pedagogy through the lens of teachers and teaching assistants working with children across year 4 within one primary school in London to redress this balance and identify any challenges they may encounter with this approach. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed several key themes: whole-class approaches; emphasis on learners' capabilities; flexibility; commitment to ongoing professional development; diversity of needs; TA interventions; and ability-based tasks. While practitioners exemplified inclusive pedagogy on a regular basis it was difficult to implement in all aspects of classroom life, given the complex nature and diverse range of needs they encountered in mainstream classrooms. The importance of acknowledging individual needs was recognised and some key strategies to accommodate these without causing feelings of marginalisation were highlighted. Practitioners voiced positive experiences and placed great value on, working flexibly with one another to create welcoming environments for all children yet the effective deployment of TAs was not consistently realised.

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Teaching assistant and pupil interactions: The role of repair and topic management in scaffolding learning

Abstract: Teaching assistants require training in scaffolding as an instructional strategy, and educational psychologists (EPs) could play a vital role in this respect.

Cited by 12 publications

References 25 publications

Preparing Teaching Assistants for Including All Learners

Preparing Teaching Assistants for Including All Learners

Differentiation and Grouping Practices as a Response to Heterogeneity – Teachers’ Implementation of Inclusive Teaching Approaches in Regular, Inclusive and Special Classrooms

Inclusive pedagogy through the lens of primary teachers and teaching assistants in England

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