In my role as a teaching assistant I may be involved in any stage of the planning, from long term, to short term. It can vary from something as simple as planning activities on a daily or weekly basis to more in depth planning i.e; topics for the term and subject content. Any feedback that is given to a teacher with regards to similar activities that have been done before can also be useful for them, experiences in other groups or classes means they can then adapt their planning.
It will be required within the planning to make any provisions required for learners with special educational needs. Delivering learning activities to a class, group or individual can often involve explaining the activity/Learning objective to them and if necessary, breaking down instructions one step at a time so that the children/young people are able to understand what they are expected to achieve.
We would need to ensure they have the correct resources available for the activity, adapting the resources where required for learners with special educational needs. They may also need general help and support throughout the activity and we would be expected to provide this, whilst also checking the progress they are making throughout an activity. We would need to be aware of all the resources they would need during a planned class/activity and make sure they are available for the children/young people to use. Reviewing work completed during an activity is extremely important. As this is where the cycle of planning, teaching and evaluation comes full circle.
It is important to reflect on the effectiveness of the learning activity as well as the teaching and the learner’s progress in relation to the learning objective. We may communicate the evaluation verbally, alternatively we could use monitoring forms, checklists or even self-assessment forms for the learners to assess their own progress. It is vital that we look at whether the children were able to meet the learning objective, we would also need to note if any students had found it particularly difficult, or if any found it too easy, this will help us set future activities for the children.
