Education Support Staff Working in Classroom Support Roles

Key improvement strategy 4: Student-centred practice

Guidance for improvement

Advocate for and support high expectations of all students by implementing evidence-based approaches that support students’ learning, social inclusion, independence and responsibility. When education staff share a school’s high expectations for all students, they can:

• effectively support teaching staff to collect student data to inform learning goals and strategies
• support collaborative learning
• contribute additional information and feedback to teachers and other professionals/specialists when they are reviewing classroom interventions

Action 4.1

Schedule opportunities for teaching staff and education support staff to plan collaboratively and review data, to enable education support staff to effectively support the teacher-led implementation of data-informed, inclusive teaching and learning for all students.

Action 4.1 What does this look like?

• Student data is shared with education support staff when teaching staff are selecting learning interventions, to ensure they understand their role in supporting the interventions.
• Education support staff know the students they support, their background, strengths, interests and goals.
• Education support staff join Student Support Groups to ensure they can support learning interventions in the classroom with fidelity and contribute to feedback about student progress and engagement with learning activities to help inform future interventions and support.
• Education support staff support the classroom teacher’s work in helping students to identify and share their own stories, backgrounds and cultures.
• Education support staff support the school’s work in acknowledging and integrating Koorie cultural, historical and social perspectives in teaching and learning.

Action 4.2

Ensure education support staff and teachers are using the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) when working with groups or individual students (not only with a student or students with additional learning support needs), by allocating education support staff to support teacher-designed learning in the classroom.

Action 4.2 What does this look like?

Education support staff working in classroom support roles:

• work with groups of students on teacher-designed teaching and learning activities, ask questions, and encourage students to interact with their peers, teachers and the classroom resources to address challenges presented by the learning tasks
• support collaborative learning with groups of students, while teachers run targeted, data-informed, evidence-based learning activities with individuals or small groups of students with disability and additional learning needs
• receive professional learning about how to support the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model and High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) used by teachers to encourage student engagement with learning activities and collaboration with their peers
• work with teachers to support the development of social skills to promote student engagement in learning
• understand that the support provided to students can be reduced when students achieve their learning outcomes and feel confident to work more interdependently with their teachers, peers and classroom resources
• build strong relationships with all students by having opportunities to rotate across groups of students in the classroom/year level or school

Action 4.3

Provide time for education support staff working in classroom support roles to join teacher and student discussions that empower student voice and agency ( Amplify).

Action 4.3 What does this look like?

• Education support staff are included in meetings between teachers and students (as appropriate), to understand the learning interventions that have been developed to address students’ learning goals and agreed ways of working towards them.
• Education support staff continue to build their capability around working collaboratively with teachers and students
• Education support staff use evidence-based interventions that have been identified and agreed on in their meetings with teachers and students.
• Teachers and education support staff are assisted to understand self-regulation and other social support programs developed by student support services or other health/community professionals. They feel confident supporting these programs being implemented with fidelity in the classroom, to work towards improving students’ social inclusion, independence and responsibility.
• Teachers and education support staff are supported by the relevant health professionals to use assistive technologies and augmentative and alternative communication devices (AAC) to promote students’ capacity to engage with learning and interact with their peers and adults in the school setting.