| Abstract [eng] |
All participants in the educational process are important in inclusive education. As the number of students with individual educational needs in schools increases, so does the need for a teaching assistant. A teacher’s assistant provides assistance to a student with individual educational needs, a class, or a small group of students. There is a need for help for foreign children, lithuanians who have returned from abroad, and gifted students. Communication with the teacher is important for the successful work of a teacher's assistant, therefore mutual trust, knowledge sharing and teamwork are essential. The teacher's assistant shares his / her experiences with his / her colleagues, the Student support specialists. The development of the competencies of a teaching assistant and the improvement of professional knowledge are especially encouraged, and a secondary education teaching assistant alone is not enough. However, common human values must also be borne in mind when developing a student's social and communication skills. Research has highlighted the importance of the teaching assistant in inclusive education (Rasmitadila, Goldstein, 2017; Lakkalaa, 2019). Researchers have found that the activities of a teaching assistant have a positive impact on students with individual educational needs. Distance learning has posed challenges in the activities of a teaching assistant and a student with individual educational needs. Problematic questions are raised in the work: what are the roles of a teacher's assistant in a general education school? What are the activities of a teaching assistant in inclusive education? How have the activities of a teaching assistant changed while working remotely? The object of the research is the activities of a teaching assistant in a general education school. The aim of the research: to reveal the activities of a teaching assistant in a general education school. The tasks of the research: 1. To substantiate the theoretical assumptions of the activity of a teacher's assistant in a general education school. 2. To substantiate the research methodology of the teacher's assistant's activity. 3. To determine the peculiarities of the activity of a teacher's assistant in school X. The main results of the work and their areas of application. The results of the study showed that teacher assistants perform many activities in a variety of roles. The main activities of a teaching assistant are: to help a student with individual educational needs, to help the teacher and to communicate with colleagues. By assisting the student, the teacher's assistant involves the student with individual educational needs in the educational process, promoting his or her independence and willingness to participate in classroom activities. The teacher’s assistant develops social skills by teaching the student to serve, communication skills, encouraging communication with classmates, both during the lesson and during the break. By helping the teacher, the teacher’s assistant makes the educational process more effective. When a student with educational needs completes tasks, a teacher’s assistant can help a class or small group of students who need help at the time. These will not necessarily be students with individual educational needs. Assistance in the classroom is provided to foreigners, Lithuanians who have returned from abroad, or even gifted students. What is important is what the teaching assistant knows so that the assisted student is not abused. So there has to be teamwork between the teacher and the teaching assistant in the classroom. The results of the study showed that a teacher 's assistant is a necessary participant in inclusive education. Teachers emphasized the effective assistance of a teaching assistant in the classroom. Although distance learning posed challenges, it also revealed advantages at work, such as the importance of a teaching assistant in education. In order for the work to run smoothly, the teaching assistant must constantly improve his or her professional knowledge, be interested in innovation and share experiences with colleagues. The results of the research are significant for researchers, educational institutions, pedagogues, and teaching assistants who seek to research or reveal the activities and opportunities of a teaching assistant in practice. |
