Foundations Article #8

           This article looked at Scottish Schools and the presence of additional adults in the classroom along with a supervisory teacher. This article takes a look at the role of the teacher, as well as the impact other adults have in classroom. These other adults would be considered special educators or para educators in the United States. Scotland has a firm policy on inclusion and this paper attempts to look at the role teachers have in delegating authority to other adults and making sure the classroom functions in an optimum manner.

            Traditionally classes in Scotland have one teacher per classroom. With inclusion came the appearance of support personal for special needs students. These support personnel are not always trained in education. Lots of veteran and novice teachers are not trained in supervisory or management roles of adults. Teaching has long been seen as a solitary profession. With the emergence of special needs and inclusion in classrooms, lead teachers need to know how to adequately meet the needs of diverse learners.

            The paper identifies management themes that are particularly important for classroom success. The supervisory teacher needs to be able to tailor classroom work for diverse learners. The teacher needs to be able to communicate this to the supporting teacher. The supervisory teacher needs to provide direction to supporting personnel. The supervisory teacher needs to be able to train and coach supporting personnel, especially those with no former educational training background. The supervisory teacher must also act as a motivator for both students and adults, and must be willing to share insights on dealing with students with conduct difficulties. Lastly, the supervisory teacher must act like a supervisor. Traditional thoughts on teaching have been a teacher is responsible for administering lesson plans, but that idea needs to be expanded. Teachers are the classroom supervisors, they need to reach everyone in the classroom and they are responsible for making sure students and adults alike understand the direction the class is going and why.

            The paper tells us what teachers should be doing in 21^st century Scotland. The role of a teacher has changed. A teacher needs to make sure students, special educators and para’s all know what is on the agenda. The teacher needs to make sure support personal are aware of the expectations and be able to communicate those expectations to all personnel involved. It would seem this is all part of the job to begin with, but the concept of teaching being a solitary job is apparently part of the problem.

Calder, I., & Grieve, A. (2004). Working with other adults: what teachers need to know. Educational Studies (03055698), 30(2), 113-126. doi:10/1080.0305569032000159778