Teacher’s Aides: Why They’re So Important

Teacher’s aides, or teaching assistants (TAs), play a crucial part in driving education outcomes for children. They provide essential support for teachers in the classroom; yet, the value of their role tends to be overlooked. Many individuals and parents are even unaware of what TAs actually do and the indispensable assistance they offer teachers, students, and the community. So what exactly does a TA do and why are they so important?

Teacher’s aides: role and responsibilities and how they help

TAs are just like teachers, but their role is focused on assisting rather than working as full-time teachers. Teacher’s aides assist teachers in numerous ways, from helping kids who need extra attention to acting as an extra pair of eyes in the classroom.

Extra support – TAs provide additional support to kids who need specialist guidance for skills like reading or maths. Large classroom sizes and busy teachers mean this essential assistance can go a long way in ensuring kids maximise their potential and have the competencies they need to advance to the next grade.

Specialist guidance – For kids who need specialist support, TAs can provide guidance to address physical, learning, and behavioural issues. TAs can support kids emotionally, especially in situations where the pupil has learning barriers. These challenges could be associated with speech, language, social deprivation, special education needs, and disability. TAs can also help with handling kids, addressing questions, and offering encouragement as requested.

Pair of eyes – Teacher’s aides act as a valuable extra pair of eyes for teachers who have a lot of kids under their care. TAs can encourage better classroom behaviour by quietly calling out disruptive or distracting behaviour. Potential outcomes include minimising interruptions, encouraging kids to focus, and a quiet classroom environment conducive to learning. TAs can also offer vital assistance when it comes to supervising groups and group excursions when teachers can be spread thin with too many competing demands.

One-to-one and group interventions – While teachers are in charge of guiding the whole classroom through each lesson, TAs have the flexibility to carry out one-to-one and group interventions as required. They can work discreetly, without interrupting the rest of the class, to offer targeted support to individuals and groups of students.

Preparation – TAs typically work closely with teachers to plan lessons. They can help with choosing and collating learning materials and aids as well as creating strategies for kids who might be struggling.

Feedback – Teaching assistants can provide teachers with valuable feedback and insights to assist with lesson planning and assessing kids’ progress.

Administrative work – General administrative duties like tidying the classroom and putting away equipment and learning materials can also be a part of a TA’s day.

Teaching – TAs can also undertake teaching work as well. They might work with teachers to deliver lessons in groups or take over now and then to present, deliver, and instruct on given topics. They can help grade and mark students’ work.

Approachability – For some kids, TAs can be more approachable than a teacher. As such, a TA could act as a confidant or mentor for kids who need extra help or guidance.

Parent interaction – Teacher’s aides can also help out by interacting with pupil’s parents and providing updates and insights into how kids are progressing in their learning.

The importance of TAs

Teacher’s aides, therefore, provide considerable assistance to teachers, kids, and parents. For extra context on their importance, consider the role of the teacher. Teachers have the responsibility of ensuring children in the classroom are learning successfully but their scope of responsibilities tends to be broad. TAs can offer more granular support, saving teachers from having too many tasks to attend to. Pupils then have a more focused, nurturing environment for achieving targeted learning outcomes.

Become a teacher’s aide

There’s little doubt teacher’s aides occupy a vital role in supporting children’s learning and wellbeing in the classroom. An effective TA can facilitate happy, rewarding relationships with children, parents, teachers, and other staff members. By assisting teachers in their interactions with pupils, TAs perform meaningful work that can be fulfilling and enjoyable for anyone who loves to see kids thrive in their education and develop into empowered, productive people.

Does the idea of entering a fast-growing profession to support kids with reaching their full educational potential appeal to you? Check out ICI’s Teacher’s Aide course. You’ll have the opportunity to learn from highly qualified, experienced professionals. Click here for more information and to take the next steps to your new career.

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by Gladys Mae

Gladys Mae serves as the General Manager and Head of Student Services at the International Career Institute. Gladys holds a degree in Mass Communication - Broadcast Media from the University of San Jose-Recoletos. She joined ICI in 2010 and has over the past 12 years been instrumental in providing leadership and guidance to staff and students alike. Prior to joining ICI Gladys led a multifaceted career with key roles in the banking and business process outsourcing industries.