Teaching assistants from Leicestershire, Northants and Derby took part in a great day of workshops on Friday 13th February at Beauchamp College, Oadby.
The morning workshop led by Eva Cartwright, Principal of the Teaching Assistant College, focused on creative strategies to support learners and explored how to help children get the best from learning opportunities.
The afternoon session, led by Julie Jones, Course Leader of the Foundation Degree in Learning and Teaching at University of Northampton, focused on the teaching assistant’s role in developing children’s speaking and listening skills. It involved the participants in evaluating how they could contribute to environments that encourage speaking and listening and in evaluating activities that would encourage and engage children in speaking and listening.
Comments from the participants highlighted what a great opportunity it had been to learn new ideas about engaging children. As one participant said; ‘It was an opportunity to engage with other T.A’s and learn new ideas and think about what I do every day.’
