"The role of a teacher's assistant in an inclusive environment"

9 In December, specialists of the Inclusive Resource Center of the Rakhiv City Council held a seminar for teacher assistants (teachers) educational institutions "The role of a teacher's assistant in an inclusive environment". The meeting was attended 24 assistants of teachers and educators of educational institutions of the Rakhiv community.

The role of a teacher's assistant in the classroom (the group)with inclusive education is very important, namely: teacher support in working with all students of the class, primarily with children with special educational needs.

Results of the seminar:

• Participants discussed the main roles and functions of a teaching assistant in an inclusive classroom (the group), which are decisive in the organization of the educational process.
• The participants got acquainted with the regulatory and legal support for the work of a teacher's assistant and the maintenance of the necessary documentation in the context of Ukrainian legislation.
• The participants got acquainted with the main competencies, which must be inherent in the teacher's assistant, which play an important role for its successful and productive activity.
• Participants learned, how to build effective relationships between a teacher and a teaching assistant in an inclusive classroom.
• The participants got acquainted with the main models of joint teaching in the classroom with inclusive education and the features of successful teacher interaction, teacher's assistant and student team.

Key ideas of the seminar:

• The teacher's assistant must have knowledge of the international and Ukrainian legal framework in the field of inclusive education, which regulates its roles and functions, have a certain set of personal and professional qualities, which would help him successfully realize himself in the profession.
• The teacher's assistant is not the main person, which is responsible for the organization of the educational space in the student environment, but he actively participates in it.
• The teacher's assistant participates in the development and implementation of the goals of the child's individual development program, adapts educational materials taking into account the individual characteristics of educational and cognitive activities of children with special educational needs.
• A teacher's assistant must have basic pedagogical methods and techniques, which are used in working with students in an inclusive environment.
• An effective relationship between a teacher and his assistant is formed on the basis of joint responsibility and depends on the level of understanding and trust between teachers, from that, how clearly they divide their roles and realize them. Successful implementation of an individual development program for a child with special educational needs is much more difficult, if there is no communication between the teacher and the assistant.