Perceptions and reflections on the role of the teaching assistant in the classroom environment

From LSA to teacher: the value of classroom experience in shaping a ‘teacher’ identity

“…Effective deployment exists along a continuum between administrative and quasi‐teaching activities, requiring LSAs pragmatically to use similar tacit knowledge as teachers as to when/how to question pupils and with varying degrees of autonomy and control over such interactions (Webster et al ., ). Tucker (, p. 299) notes a ‘messiness of identity construction’ inherent in any resulting role confusion, which aligns with Cajkler et al .’s research () that describes LSAs’ proactive self‐determination of role in alignment with their judgments of the most important elements of their work. Billet () considers that clarity of role identity is dependent on the degree of routine, degree of autonomy, range and complexity of tasks, access to relevant knowledge/resources and the quality of interactions with others, none of which are straightforward to define or achieve consistently in a school setting.…”

“…Sachs’s () preferred ‘activist’ identity, derived from democratic discourses and valuing collaborative cultures as being an integral part of teacher’s working practices, aligns well with the setting of this study. LSA status in schools can be poor (Mackenzie, ) and prone to role confusion (Butt and Lowe, ; Tucker, ). Arguably, a special school demands closer collaboration, with all staff having to be more flexible and responsive to the moment, blurring the lines between traditional teacher and support roles so that staff learn to develop their identity in accordance with expected roles – a ‘contextual competence’ (Svensson, , p. 579).…”

Teaching Assistants managing behaviour – who knows how they do it? A review of literature

“…The lack of guidance is significant when research (Cockroft & Atkinson, ; Devecchi & Rouse, ; Mackenzie, ; Radford et al ., ; Thomas, ; Tucker, ) shows collaboration as pivotal to a successful teacher–TA working relationship. Research (Devecchi, Dettori, Doveston, Sedgwick, & Jament, ) suggested that, although acknowledged as an ‘important’ aspect of both the TA role, ‘collaboration’ was also one of the most ‘challenging’.…”

“…Research (DfEE, ; Gerschel, ; Groom & Rose, ; O'Brien & Garner, ; Sharples et al ., ; Smith, Whitby & Sharp, ; Symes & Humphrey, ; Tucker, ) showed a ‘mismatch’ between the level of training TAs received and their increasingly demanding role. The DfEE () cautioned that many TAs had ‘little or no training for the work they do’ and Ofsted (2008) conceded that ‘weaknesses remained’ in training and deployment.…”

Researching graduates’ lived experiences of vocational learning

“…Reflecting on the contents of Sarah's and other participant narratives, there is a suggestion that 'the school represents a 'site of struggle' wherein identity is not fixed but played out through the dynamics of human relations' (Tucker 2009, 297, citing Apple 1993. In these personal narratives there is also a clear sense that participants are engaging in a personal journey and a point has been reached where they need to move on.…”