#allthingsta

This suggested structure is ideal for line managers of TAs, HLTAs, Lead TAs - basically anyone responsible for leading meetings with TAs.

Part 1 - On Arrival

A question on the board to discuss in groups while TAs get coffee. Something open ended, even controversial works well.

Questions you might like consider could be:

Should children be encouraged to select their own resources to support them during learning activities?

Is presentation of work as important as achieving learning objectives?

Do teaching assistants need to be involved in planning to fully support learning activities?

This type of discussion at the beginning of the meeting ensures the time is fully utilised and there is no dead time in waiting for the meeting to begin. This type of question creates a platform to gradually undo any old-fashioned thought processes and shape the way in which the TA team are working.

5 – 10 minutes - Group Discussion

Share thoughts and outcomes of the discussion. This is a great opportunity to discuss that differing opinions can often be a great thing and that teachers they work with may have different expectations.

  Part 2 - 30 to 60 minutes – Main Meeting

One or more of the following focus elements for your meeting:

Short Training Session

Prepare a short training session on a topic that would benefit the TAs. Ensure there are more activities or discussion than delivery focused training to ensure the training is memorable and meaningful for each TA.

Idea/Resource Share

For this type of meeting, each TA brings along a resource or great idea they have seen work well in the classroom. Just a few TAs could bring resources and show them to the whole group, or everyone could bring something and run the meeting as a speed dating style session, so everyone shares their ideas in pairs for just a few minutes before one moves on.

General Information Sharing

Take care that this doesn’t become a negative, problem sharing affair. You could try having a rule that if anyone raises an issue, they should have thought of at least one way to solve the problem. Anyone listening to the issue should focus on providing ideas to solve the problem too.  The only way for meetings to be productive is to have a common understanding that fault-finding is unhelpful unless we have ideas for a solution that will work for most people.

  Part 3 - 5 Minutes – Action Planning

Whether the focus of the meeting has been training, idea/resource sharing or general information sharing a concentrated 5 minutes of action planning of changes TAs might like to try in their classroom practice.

  A few tips:

Remember the little things matter too. Cake is always popular for a meeting!

Agreeing that all stress and negativity are left at the door can be helpful, so forward-thinking positivity is maximised

Celebrate success. Remember that we’re all here, in school to build confidence, self-esteem and progress with the young people we work with. The little break-throughs are worth celebrating together.

Flexible learning to suit your lifestyle

We know finding time to fit a qualification into an already busy lifestyle can be challenging, which is why we offer flexible learning that will fit around you. You can access your eLearning portfolio 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so you can work on your assignments at times that suit you. Whilst you will have an overall time limit for the qualification, we don’t set deadlines (but will help you to set your own if you feel you’d benefit from this) so that you can plan when you’ll be able to work, and we don’t close over school holidays so that you can make the most of not being in school.

 Unlimited support from your Personal Support Tutor

When you enrol on to a course with The Teaching Assistant College, you will be assigned a Personal Support Tutor, who will support you from the very beginning of your course right through to the end, and beyond. All of our Personal Support Tutor’s have worked in schools and come from educational backgrounds, and they all understand what it’s like to work in the school environment and undertake a qualification. They will be your main point of contact throughout your studies, will assess your work, and support you in whatever way you need to be successful.  

 Easy to use eLearning platform

We have a streamlined, easy to use eLearning platform, which keeps all your learning materials and assignments in one place. This means there’s only one log in to remember, and only one system to find your way around! Through this platform, you’ll be able to track your progress and see what you have completed and what you have left, access your eLectures and resources, and submit your assignments. You’ll receive a step-by-step visual guide on how to use it, and your Personal Support Tutor will answer any questions or concerns you have.

 No hidden fees and flexible payment options

The price you see on the website is what you’ll pay*. This includes your eLearning materials, candidate handbook, textbook, unlimited access to your Personal Support Tutor, direct observation (if applicable) and additional resources, which we’ll talk about in a minute. There are no hidden fees, and we can offer flexible payment plans to suit you. If you have any questions about our payment plans, please give the office a call on 01785 227 574.

*If you go over your target end date, additional charges will be incurred.

 Access to TA College Resources

For the duration of your qualification, you’ll get free access to other TA College resources, such as blogs, a private student Facebook group, and our online resource library TA Connect. TA Connect is a fantastic supplement to your qualification, providing practical, downloadable resources and pocket sized professional development that can enhance your knowledge, understanding and skills.

Professional development need not be expensive or complicated to incorporate throughout the school year.   Here are some of the ways some schools are improving the impact their TAs and LSAs through better professional development.

1)      Encourage Reflection

Create an ethos of reflection in everything your TAs are doing. Provide opportunities for reflective discussions about practice and encourage personal reflection using diaries or just even thinking about personal impact and support methods on the journey home.

2)      Incorporate Professional Development Wherever Possible

Think of Professional Development as a key element of all TA meetings, incorporate training, reflection and sharing ideas wherever possible.  

You may find it useful to have some readymade training materials to use whenever you need them, take a look at our training resources by clicking on this link:

http://www.tacollege.com/396/resources/training-resources

3)      Show and Tell

Encourage your support staff to be on the lookout for great ideas for supporting learners, resources, interesting articles in magazines, from the internet etc. and provide opportunities for them to share their findings through a noticeboard, meetings and training sessions.

4)      Make the Most of Your Teaching Team

Utilise staff expertise to create and deliver training for Teaching Assistants. Ensure your schedule is for little and often.

5) TA Specific INSET

Bringing in external trainers can be a great way of tackling difficult issues, showing the team that they are valued and they deserve specialist training.

You may be interested to know that we can deliver bespoke training specifically relevant to your needs and can even liaise with other trainers delivering training for the teachers to ensure your TA training can an adapted version of the same topic.

Take a look at our INSET at:

http://www.tacollege.com/364/training  

6) External Courses

A fabulous way for your TAs to meet other support staff from a variety of schools, to share ideas and learn more about a topic.  Our training days are available from just £30 per person with specific ideas to try in school with an expectation of follow up reflection.

http://www.tacollege.com/media/calendar/468