My big topic inquiry question is how does an assistant teacher affect the classroom environment? This big topic question will have implications on a global level because 90% of the world has completed a primary education. This shows that many people are interested in learning! I hope to increase the learning in classrooms, so that the students can have greater access for guidance and help. I hope to also help students learn effectively. I hear many students saying that they spend so much time (almost more than five hours studying.) However, they do not get the mark they think they deserve on the tests. I hope to research more on how to productively study, so we can improve our test scores.
My sub-question inquiry question is: what are the positive and negative effects of an assistant teacher in a classroom? I hope to research on both the positive and negative effects of an assistant teacher to create a non-bias answer. I have seen many positive effects of an assistant teacher in a classroom. For example, the students are more motivated, the teacher seems less stressed, and the classroom lessons are thoroughly explained. However, I have also seen negative effects of an assistant teacher in the classroom. For instance, the students are distracted, the teacher is always teaching the assistant teacher and the assistant teacher is disengaged with the teachers.
One of the advantages of having an assistant teacher in a classroom is the individual attention that an assistant teacher can provide (1). This will help students who struggle to follow the class instructions or the class due dates for assignments (1). The students will have easy access to reach out for extra help to assistant teachers (1). This is especially helpful if the teachers are busy with other tasks (2). Another advantage of an assistant teacher is they help the teachers regularly, so the classroom can maintain fast progress in learning (2). For example, the teacher can help with photocopying lesson notes, making sure everyone is off their phones and making sure the learning environment is neat and organized (2). An assistant teacher and teacher may be able to combine different learning strategies as they work together (3). For example, a visual learner assistant teacher might write notes on the board (3). While an auditory learner teacher can provide support by reading the notes out loud (4). This will ensure that the students learn productively (4).
A disadvantage of having an assistant teacher in a classroom is student dependency (5). Since students have easy access to ask for help, they may expect unnecessary help instead of doing their work independently (5). This may later become an issue during tests, college years and university years when they must study independently (6). Furthermore, the coordination between the teacher and an assistant teacher can become a challenge. For example, the teacher may have to inform the assistant teacher about the lesson plan on their own time outside of the classroom (6). This may be difficult for teachers because they must spend time with both the students and the assistant teachers (6).
To summarize, there are more advantages than disadvantages when an assistant teacher is in a classroom (7). To overcome the disadvantage of student dependency, the assistant teachers can always give hints to the answer (7). In this way, the students will be encouraged to put their hard-work to solve the problem. For example, instead of asking for help on about balancing equations in Chemistry, they can look at the charges on the periodic table for guidance (7). Moreover, the Ministry of education can compensate teachers for their extra time planning with assistant teachers (7). The teachers may then feel more encouraged to take in an assistant teacher (7).
Here are my [PEER-REVIEWED SOURCES]:
- 3 Underappreciated Benefits of Being a Teacher’s Assistant – Columbia College Calgary. https://columbia.ca/three-underappreciated-benefits-of-being-a-teachers-assistant/. Accessed 31 May 2024.
2. “The Importance of Teaching Assistants.” Stonebridge Associated Colleges Blog, 5 Jan. 2022, https://www.stonebridge.uk.com/blog/teaching-assistant/importance-of-teaching-assistants/.
3. Shear, Adam. “Five Benefits of Being a Teaching Assistant.” SUNY Oswego Student Blogs, 15 Apr. 2014, https://blogs.oswego.edu/2014/04/15/five-benefits-of-being-a-teaching-assistant/.
4. Am I Suited For This Job? | Vancouver Public Library. https://www.vpl.ca/siic/guide/employment-guides/teacher-assistants-elementary-secondary-school/am-i-suited-job. Accessed 31 May 2024.
5. Brown, Justin. Working as a TA – What Are the Pros & Cons? | Heart Teaching. 21 June 2023, https://heartteaching.com/working-as-a-ta-what-are-the-pros-cons/.
6. Sider, Karley. “The Pros and Cons of Being a Teaching Assistant at UVic.” Martlet, 20 Apr. 2023, https://martlet.ca/the-pros-and-cons-of-being-a-teaching-assistant-at-uvic/.
7. An Educational Assistant Speaks out: We Are over-Worked, Undervalued, Underpaid, the List Goes on | Childcarecanada.Org. https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/19/10/educational-assistant-speaks-out-we-are-over-worked-undervalued. Accessed 31 May 2024.
Thank you,
Sarah Kim
Hello Sarah,
Great blog post! This is something that students in high school know of and acknowledge. In my opinion, almost all students think that having an assistant teacher or a peer tutor is helpful, since some people can’t understand what the teacher teaches them or they simply feel embarrassed asking their teacher for help. One question is doesn’t dependency on assistant teachers mean the actual teacher isn’t teaching well? I think this is a great way to end off a lot of research. Here is one source if you want to learn a little bit more about the affect of assistant teachers.
https://www.e-careers.com/connected/why-teaching-assistants-are-important
Hey Sara,
This is such an intriguing blog post! You picked such a unique inquiry question. I personally benefit from having a teacher assistant in the classroom because sometimes the teacher is busy, so it is faster to have another set of hands in the classroom to ask for help from. A question I have is whether having older teacher assistants is better than having younger ones? For example, it is easier to communicate with people who are younger, but people who are older have more experience. Below I have provided a couple of links that talk about the impact of age on teacher assistances to the student body. Hopefully, this can help you get a better understanding of your inquiry question.
https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/86865/Daniel_Master-Thesis.pdf?sequence=1
https://www.i-teachers.com/what-makes-a-good-teaching-assistant/#:~:text=How%20to%20be%20a%20good%20teaching%20assistant%201,classroom.%204%20Good%20communication%205%20Planning%20and%20preparation
Good luck with your research!
Mahdiya A