Teaching Assistant Course 2024-2025
Here you can find an outline of the 10 modules in the course
This course is for anyone wanting to work in an educational environment.
Typically, teaching assistants are employed to work with children from Kindergarten to 11 years old.
No specific prerequisites are required. The course is delivered in English.
The course will take place on one Saturday per month. Sessions will run from 09.30 until 13.30. The first session is on Saturday 21st September 2024. All dates and rates are here.
Highly qualified staff from Foundations for Learning and outside speakers who are acknowledged experts in their field deliver the course.
Depending on the public health situation, Swiss recommendations and the health of presenters on the day of presentation (e.g. if they had a positive Covid test), it may be the case that some modules will be presented online.
Two-course textbooks, videos, and case studies are used throughout.
Each module starts by:
- Deepening the participants’ understanding of the subject being introduced
- Relating theory to practice
- Understanding and developing strategies that can be used in the classroom to support children
10 Modules
Understanding the roles and responsibilities of a Teaching Assistant
Objectives:
To Understand the roles and responsibilities of Teaching Assistants in International Schools
Overview of course materials
Introduction to a framework for learning that can support best
How to work with children with behavioural difficulties
Objectives:
What is behaviour
How can we interpret behaviour?
How can we address problem behaviours?
Introduction to Functional Analysis as a way of understanding and supporting children with behavioural difficulties
How to support students with reading and spelling difficulties
Objectives:
To gain an overview and understanding of reading development
To develop an understanding of the specific skills involved in reading.
To develop an understanding of where breakdowns in reading can occur and strategies to put in place to support the struggling reader
Working with children with Autism
Objectives:
To understand what is meant by Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Identifying areas of challenge for children with ASD
How ABA Therapy can support children with ASD
To understand what behaviours might be seen in the classroom when children have ASD
To learn how to support children in the classroom with ASD
Child Observations – why they are so important and how to write them
Objectives:
Understanding the importance of observation in supporting children
Traps to avoid when observing children
Different styles of observation
A first step into observation by making video-based observations
Working with the Social and Emotional Child
Objectives:
Introducing the idea of a growth mindset
How to support children with developing a growth mindset
Questions that elicit strengths in children
Ways to help children solve conflicts
Positive Behaviour Management in the Classroom
Objectives:
To understand what is meant by sensory processing
Learn about positive behaviour support in schools
The role of a TA
What class / individual strategies can be used?
Look at examples of strategies and behaviour plans through case studies.
Language Development and how to support students with language difficulties
Objectives:
To have an overview of typical language development.
To understand what communication skills are and why they are important.
Identifying common speech, language and communication needs and their impact.
Signs of difficulty.
Classroom strategies and case studies.
Supporting students with attention difficulties
Objectives:
To understand the different systems of attention as outlined by All Kinds of Minds
To understand what a diagnosis of ADHD means
To understand what behaviours might be seen in the classroom when children have attention difficulties
To learn how to support children in the classroom with attention difficulties
Ways of supporting children in mathematics
Objectives:
To look at current educational research into teaching mathematics, for example, on the topics of maths myths and gender differences.
Developing an understanding of what works best in schools
Thinking about specific learning difficulties and their impact on the teaching and learning of maths.