Making a Difference in Students' Lives
Leading in Your Role: Teaching Assistants
Online recorded content and resources for teaching and non-teaching assistants, and co-teachers.
*Course content includes presentations in English or Mandarin Chinese.
Designed for TAs.
This live facilitated online conference is specifically designed for teaching and non-teaching assistants, and co-teachers. It is also relevant for teachers who are new at working with teaching assistants. The purpose of this conference is to help participants develop practices and skills in partnering with their teachers in order to assist students in achieving their full learning potential.
Target Audience
Teaching assistants, learning support and library assistants, arts/music/PE assistants, lab assistants, child-care assistants, co-teachers, and teachers of international/bilingual schools
Languages
English or Mandarin Chinese (depending on the presentations)
What People Are Saying
“I came, I grow.”
— Annie Lv, Suzhou Singapore International School
“[If you] want to be better [at your job], please join us at the next conference.”
— Carrie Chu, Dulwich College Beijing
“Learning, improved, and inspired.”
— Vicky Gao, Hangzhou International School
“The whole training is very informative and really inspired me in many ways.”
— Sonia Zhang, Tsinghua International School
“Learning from awesome people from different backgrounds.”
— Jane Zhang, Nanjing International School
“Everyone here understands you.”
— Effie Sun, TEDA Global Academy
What will I learn?
All content and cases will be related to how to build effective team cohesion with the teacher so that the teaching assistant and the teacher can both collaboratively provide high-quality teaching services to the students and make a difference in the students’ lives.
By the end of the conference, participants will be able to:
Fully understand the role and responsibilities of an assistant;
Identify qualities expected of teaching assistants from teachers and students;
Learn classroom management tactics, teaching strategies, and organizational skills;
Discover the various stages of child development and how they can influence that development;
Develop knowledge and skills for maximizing student learning and collaboration and communication with teachers, students, and parents; and
Network with assistants from other international/bilingual schools.
How will I learn?
Based on extensive research, we have developed a model for virtual professional development that will:
Enable participants to enjoy a mix of content delivery methods to meet the needs of various learning styles and preferences, including but not limited to: Lectures, case studies, role plays, discussions, and video productions;
Challenge participants to apply knowledge and tools introduced throughout the conference to their own working context;
Connect participants to process content collectively and share unique experiences and perspectives in small and large groups.
Course Content
Making a Difference in Students’ Lives
(English and Mandarin Chinese)
You may have heard Henry Brooks Adams’ quote, “Teachers affect eternity; no one can tell where their influence stops.” It is true to say that a great teacher can change a student’s destiny. In the same way, it is also appropriate to say that an outstanding teaching assistant can influence a student’s life.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to recall stories of teaching assistants making a difference in students’ lives, learn how to forge strong relationships with students, and identify qualities of a great teaching assistant that can positively influence students.
The Role and Responsibilities of a Teaching Assistant
(English and Mandarin Chinese)
Teaching assistants play an extremely important role in helping and supporting the teacher. Duties range from managing behaviors to small group interventions to tracking and reporting progress and to co-teaching. Some teaching assistants are expected to do more mundane tasks such as setting up the classrooms and decorating the bulletin boards. Part of the job is to observe and anticipate the needs of the teacher and students, and then actively meet those needs and support them. It is vital for the teaching assistants to understand their roles and responsibilities to do a competent job.
Cross-Cultural Communication
(English and Mandarin Chinese)
It is essential for the teaching assistant to maintain good communication with the teacher whom they are supporting. In most cases, the cultures of the teaching assistant and the teacher are different. In an international school environment, it is not uncommon whereby teaching assistants may be required to interact with parents from other cultures. It is very important to acquire basic cross-cultural communication skills.
Collaboration Skills
(English and Mandarin Chinese)
It is very unlikely that teaching assistants are lone workers. Most work environments require collaboration. In a classroom, collaboration is mandatory if the teaching assistant and the teacher(s) are to work together towards a common goal that enhances student learning. The idea of collaboration seems easy enough but, in reality it can be challenging to collaborate with others. Each person on a team has different strengths and weaknesses, communication preferences, and personal goals.
Managing Student Behavior
(English and Mandarin Chinese)
In every class, there is often at least one student who has a hard time behaving appropriately. This student’s seemingly unrelenting passion to find ways to cause chaos has the teacher at his or her wits’ end. The teaching assistant will probably be called upon to manage this student’s behavior. It can be exhausting. There are usually a number of factors including but not limited to problems at home, lack of self-esteem, mental health challenges, and physiological reasons that lead to poor student behavior.
Stages of Child Development
(English and Mandarin Chinese)
Children undergo stages of development the moment they are born. There are also different areas of development. Some development may seem mundane; however, it is worth celebrating and noticing. These developmental milestones can be special. Hence, it is critically important to track them, especially for younger children.
Effective Teaching Strategies
(English and Mandarin Chinese)
The classroom is a dynamic environment, bringing together students from different backgrounds with various abilities, personalities, and cultures. The teaching assistant will periodically be asked to co-teach with the teacher. Being an effective co-teacher, therefore, requires the implementation of creative and innovative teaching strategies to meet students’ individual needs. There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution in teaching.
Managing Increasing Workload and Conflicting Demands
(English and Mandarin Chinese)
Workload never seems to diminish. In fact, it appears to be increasing as time passes. Managing workload effectively with conflicting deadlines and priorities is not easy especially when a teaching assistant is supporting multiple teachers.
Apart from the above topics, experienced teaching assistants and educators, who have been in the role for more than five years, will share their practical skills and helpful tips. This includes a short presentation of their knowledge and experience and a Q&A session that are in either English or Mandarin Chinese depending on the presenter.
Topics addressed include:
Pre-School – Lower Elementary Teaching Assistants
Upper Elementary – Secondary Assistants
Learning Support and Library Assistants
Specialists’ Assistants
Job-Alike
Start supporting your TAs more comprehensively.
“I met some fantastic people and learned a lot about my role as a TA.”
— Gabrielle McCann, Australian International School Hong Kong
“Education is more than just about academics. Emphasize character building; it is what will make the world a better place. Your actions matter.”
— Isma Hussain, Yew Chung International School Hong Kong
“In this conference, you are not only a learner but also a teacher. You will think about your job differently after interacting with many peers who play the same role in other schools.”
— Nini Ni, Beijing City International School
“TAs are also Teaching Angels who shouldn't underestimate themselves.”
— Christel Luo, Nanjing International School
Full-year access to recorded content and learning materials of 28 presentations.
Individual Registration
USD50
Bulk Registration for School Staff
If your school is registering for more than 20 users, it will be 25USD for every additional user.