3 Reasons Why Education Assistants Are So Important!
The role of Education Assistant is absolutely vital in today’s education system. Over the last 30 to 40 years, how we teach has come a long way. The movement into an inclusive model of education encourages the integration of students with diverse abilities into regular classrooms.
As this shift continues, those in the field of education work to steadily navigate what an inclusive classroom looks like. This makes the role of the Education Assistant more important than ever!
To support both teachers and students, education assistants work in collaboration with a team of educators to positively impact and guide exceptional students.
The Significant Role Of Education Assistant
In the education industry, education assistants
are valued members of the school team and are also in high demand across the BC
province. Education assistants are well-trained, compassionate, and dedicated
individuals who play a crucial role in supporting students of all abilities.
Classroom teachers are responsible for delivering curriculum, instruction, assessments, and collaborating with the student’s caregivers and education team.
On the other hand, education assistants are responsible for helping the student focus on the instruction given by the classroom teacher.
To further support the student, education assistants also carefully follow the student’s Individual Education Plan, working on both personalized goals and objectives.
One of the leading differences between teachers and education assistants is that teachers tend to cater to the class as a whole, while education assistants center on a particular student or group of students – thereby creating a more developed and personal relationship with them.
Because of the meaningful and distinguished impact they have, education assistants shape our future by shaping the young minds of today.
Below are three reasons why education assistants are crucial and deserve more recognition!
1. They
Help Students Overcome Challenges
Education assistants provide personal care, behaviour management, and emotional and academic support.
In some situations, they can assist with specialized programming, physical therapy, speech therapy, assistive technology, self-care needs, and any other health care needs under the guidance of trained professionals.
Most of the time, when students face obstacles in their day-to-day school life, it’s the education assistant who takes the time to help them overcome them.
Because of this, it’s important for education assistants to encourage students to work towards life skills and independence using positive child guidance.
2. They
Ensure that Students Maximize Their Learning Potential
While teachers teach students, education assistants support their learning potential, working alongside and under the guidance of the classroom teacher.
Education assistants enrich the student’s learning through positive reinforcement, use of learning manipulatives, and encouragement.
As a means to support both the teacher and students, education assistants work on an individual scale to warrant that each student receives the maximum potential from the learning activities planned by the teacher.
By working on an individual scale, education assistants help to break down the material into a digestible format for students that may be particularly struggling.
3. They Offer Emotional Support and Encouragement
for Students
Seeing that education assistants work with students on a smaller and more personal scale, they provide not only learning support, but emotional support as well.
On some occasions, a classroom may be home to students who require additional attention and encouragement or experience difficulty learning.
These students may be experiencing speech and language barriers, social deprivation, neglect and/or special education needs and/or disabilities.
Education assistants are there to provide physical, emotional and behavioural support thus enabling the student full inclusion in a classroom setting.
We hope these three reasons helped you realize
how important education assistants are in today’s society. If you know an
education assistant yourself, don’t forget to thank them and tell them how much
you appreciate them!
Want to learn more about the education assistant programs offered at Sprott Shaw? Below are some additional resources for anyone interested in a new career in education!
