Classroom assistants for better education

Forty-six students join a new programme to help enhance the school learning environment. Maysam Ali reports

For students enrolled in Al Ain Women's College new Classroom Assistant Programme, being a classroom assistant is equally important, if not more important, than being the teacher.

This programme gives them the education and training needed to become assistant teachers in the classroom. Forty-six students enrolled in the new diploma programme in its first semester.

Mission of the programme

Maria McGuire, Dean of Instruction and supervisor of the programme, told Notes: "The mission of the programme is to produce graduates with the skills to work as classroom assistants in an educational environment."

She said that the idea came as part of school reforms that are taking place in the country. "In order to reform schools, help across the classroom is needed. We expect the students to work in small groups under the supervision of teachers in order to enhance the learning environment."

What is the programme?
The new programme introduced by the Higher Colleges of Technology's Education Division offers aspiring teaching assistants two years of education and training after which they obtain their diplomas.

During the two years, students cover both theoretical and practical courses. While the theoretical includes courses on psychology, computing skills, English language, management and organisation and related courses, the practical involves actual training in public school classrooms.

The project started in six public primary schools in Al Ain. The schools were participating in the Abu Dhabi Education Council's Public-Private Partnership as part of the school reform initiative.

Students in the course visited these schools and assisted the teachers, which on the one hand improved learning in the classroom and on the other provided the students with practical experience to complement their academic studies.

Currently being offered at an all-women's college, the programme attracts female students. McGuire said that the need for a similar programme at Men's Colleges has not yet been investigated.

Teacher assistant as a career
If classroom assistants choose to become teachers, they must undergo more training, as the diploma falls short of providing students with the qualifications to be a teacher.

Teaching assistants support both the teachers of the class and the students, performing administrative work and helping in classroom activities as well as understanding the children's needs and capacities.

Shaikha Ahmad Salem Al Sudain, a 23-year-old business graduate enrolled in this programme, said that it was her love of education and teaching that made her seek a second major. "After graduation," she said, "I want to go into this but with new ideas and with older students."

Describing the activities in the classroom and her role as teaching assistant, Al Sudain said: "The class joins various subjects and activities. Every corner in the classroom is for a specific subject: math, English, etc… We see what attracts students and study ways to involve them in other subjects.

"For me, classroom assistance is more important than instruction. I observe students more closely, know their problems and needs," she said, "When a student is hesitant about participating, I try to discover why in order to better understand their special needs."

The 46 students are the first generation that will graduate with this diploma from Al Ain Women's College. Similar programmes are bound to come up and spread to other emirates, said McGuire.

There is growing demand from schools for this kind of help in their classrooms, and with Al Ain Women's College successful implementation of the programme, other colleges will follow suit, McGuire added.

What does a class assistant do?