Teaching Assistants' (TAs') roles in mainstream English primary schools continue to evolve. Research suggests TAs play a vital role in managing behaviour and can have benefits for both teachers and children in relation to supporting positive behaviour in the classroom. However, there is a lack of clarity in what constitutes TAs' role, particularly…

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has emerged as a response to Europe's calls for increasing plurilingualism, due to its dual-focused approach which aims to foster and consolidate both non-language subject matter and language learning. As the approach becomes more widespread, more resources become available to help teachers facing…

Following research on the negative impact of support from teaching assistants (TAs) on pupils' academic progress, there was a clear need for schools to fundamentally reassess the way they use TAs. This article reports on findings from a collaborative project aimed at developing and evaluating alternative strategies to using TAs. Practitioner-led…

This participatory action research study engaged classroom teachers, special education teachers, teacher assistants, and a principal in examining and resolving role issues within inclusive classrooms. Analysis of data from multiple sources revealed three predominant findings: (a) when teachers were confronted with role problems, they identified an…

Utilizing Ruiz's (1984, 1995) language orientation and language policy work, this ethnographic study compared two intercultural bilingual education (IBE) schools located in two Wichí-Weenhayek communities on both sides of the Argentinean-Bolivian border. We examined Wichí-Weenhayek and non-Indigenous teachers' profiles, teacher-student…

Support for children with special educational needs in inclusive classrooms is increasingly provided by teaching assistants (TAs). They often have a direct pedagogical role, taking responsibility for instruction in mathematics. The quality of TAs' oral skills is crucial for learning but has rarely been researched. Using conversation analysis, this…

In 2008, Thailand passed legislation on the educational provisions for students with disabilities to mandate the implementation of inclusive education. This article provides a historical overview of special education in Thailand and the emergence of inclusive education as it moves from policy to practice. To further identify the challenges faced…

National governments in Britain have consistently promised that, while they would legislate for a curriculum, it would not tell teachers how to teach. Our article suggests, however, that this policy is compromised with the current programme to "remodel the workforce" and augment the role of the classroom or teaching assistant. It does…

The conclusions of various studies on the use of paraprofessionals or teacher aides are presented. Although the studies produced little statistical data, logs and reports of numerous teachers and paraprofessionals were used as the basis for this paper. It is suggested that the role of the paraprofessional ultimately depends on his own background…

The purpose of this study was to train a paraprofessional to implement the Direct Instruction (DI) "Spelling Mastery" (Dixon, Engelmann, & Bauer, 1990a, 1990b) program and to investigate the effectiveness of the instruction delivered by the paraprofessional for students with learning disabilities. We investigated (a) the extent to…

This training program is designed to prepare paraprofessionals to work effectively as instructional personnel with preschool handicapped children educational settings. The program is divided into two sections: Preservice Training and Inservice Training. The preservice section focuses on the special relationship between the instructional associate…

This selective abstract bibliography cites documents that are concerned with teachers, parents as teachers, and paraprofessionals involved with children in early childhood education. Entries selected appear in the ERIC Thesaurus (subject index) under these terms: Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Influence, Teacher Role, Teacher Aides, Preschool…

The program outlined in this proposal describes various teaching techniques which are suited to the styles and strengths of disadvantaged students. The general approach is directed at convincing the disadvantaged student that he can learn and become educated without becoming a middle class stereotype--that he can retain his own identity. A "New…

This study guide for teacher aides is one of a 4-volume series to be used in an in-service program designed to create an awareness in teacher aides, teachers, and administrators of the potential contribution of teacher aides to career education. (The other three volumes are a coordinator's manual and the separate programs for teachers and for…