Train Aid’s newest teaching course is now up and running! If you currently work with children/young people in a school or college setting, or you are considering it as a career move, this could be the perfect course for you. It could be that you enjoy working with children and have perhaps been working as a classroom assistant and you would like to develop these skills.
Perhaps you would like to become a learning support assistant for a specific group of children or an individual with learning needs. You may have never worked with children but feel drawn to it and have a voluntary role in a school or college at present. It is key that you are working in a setting (paid or voluntary) before you enrol on the course as the assignments require a fair amount of interaction with children and young people.
The course is online distance learning and can be completed within 3 months. There is a requirement of 80 hours of guided learning and there are 4 mandatory units. Each unit has a video lesson, a slide presentation and an assignment to complete. Let’s look at the unit contents in more detail:
1 – Communication and professional relationships with children, young people and adults.
In this unit, we explore ages and stages of communication and how we can adapt communication depending on these. We look at how our communication changes when working with children and adults and our use of non-verbal communication. The assignment for unit 1 is a reflective journal, looking in depth at recent communication with the children and young people that you work with.
2 – Schools as organisations.
This unit looks at the key stages within English schools and the hierarchy of them. It also explores who the key stakeholders are. The assignment is to create a staff handbook specifically for teaching assistants new to the role.
3 – Understand child and young person development.
Here we look at expected rates of development and what to do if this doesn’t happen. We look at the importance of early intervention and we explore how we could improve speech, language and communication development. This assignment is answering some written questions about these areas.
4 – Understand how to safeguard the wellbeing of children and young people.
Unit 4 looks at safeguarding legislation and checks your knowledge of the processes in your setting and who is responsible. We look at some high-profile cases where safeguarding has failed. We also explore bullying and signs of abuse. This assignment asks for your response to some case studies of students of different ages.
Once you have completed the four assignments and had them marked by the Train Aid team, you will need to be observed in your setting with a group. Completing the course should give you the confidence boost to ensure that you are reflecting on your communication skills and your understanding of policies and processes.
Teaching assistants are always the unsung heroes of any school or college and often the first point of contact for students with issues or concerns. It is incredibly important that they are trained and armed with knowledge and confidence – this course will be just what you need to get your classroom experience off to a flying start!
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