Teaching assistants managing behaviour – who knows how they do it? Agency is the answer

Abstract

This article revisits a previous publication which questioned howTeaching Assistants (TAs) manage behaviour in mainstream English primary schools (Clarke and Visser, 2016). That paper highlighted the lack of specific research in the area and noted, that despite increases in research on TAs work, there remained a lack of understanding in relation to how TAs supported children's non-academic or 'soft skills'. Following on from that, this article details the findings of a doctoral research project that investigated factors that constrained and supported TAs' management of behaviour. Using the findings from that research, this article offers answers to the to the question I outlined in the previous publication 'Teaching Assistants managing behaviour -who knows how they do it?' (Clarke and Visser, 2016). Concepts including TAs' understanding of their 'place', the impact of agency and how consistency in a range of areas influenced the agency TAs experienced in managing behaviour will be discussed.This reflected Mansaray's (2006) assertion that TAs' 'surveillance function is implicitly assumed' -by both TAs and teachers. It can be argued that the range of roles TAs fulfil, even when not unequivocally associated with managing behaviour, often encompass aspects of it. This makes understanding how TAs engage with the role and how they can be facilitated in managing behaviour an important consideration.

Earning Your Way into General Education: Perceptions about Autism Influence Classroom Placement

“…Very few studies have explored the perceptions of inclusion from the perspective of paraeducators. Within the literature, there is no consensus on the inclusive paraprofessional experience; some paraprofessionals feel confident and prepared in their positions as inclusive classroom aides [18], and some feel quite the opposite [19,20]. These competing perceptions highlight the importance of soliciting the opinions of all educational stakeholders regarding inclusive education for students with disabilities.…”

“…Undefined relationships between paraprofessionals and teachers can make addressing challenging behavior in inclusive classrooms particularly difficult. In one study, paraeducators felt that a boundary existed between teachers and the paraeducators and it was important for paraeducators not to cross this boundary [19]. When addressing challenging behavior, paraeducators felt that they were vital in managing behavior, but also needed to support the teacher without undermining them.…”

Crossing the line: constructs of TA identity

“…(Howes, 2003;Mansaray, 2006) • TA roles should be identified in policies that involve themi.e. in the wholeschool behaviour policy to support agency (Clarke and Visser, 2019).…”

“…• TAs should be involved in life of school, staff meetings, training etc., with their opinions, knowledge and understanding being seen to be valued alongside others in the school to show trust in them (Clarke and Visser, 2019;Groom and Rose, 2005) • Time should be given regularly for TAs and teachers who work closely together to negotiate and re-negotiate their identities based on their experiences and their changing contexts (for example a new cohort of children or recently implemented school or national policies) (Houssart, 2013;Lehane, 2016)…”