Any hints on training a classroom aide? She has very little training, a good heart, not going to work too hard, won’t find or look for resources to learn. Can anyone point me in the direction of resources to help her? sometimes I feel like she is one more thing to plan for, another kid, rather than an assistant?
Thanks
She’s probably not a reader, as very few people are. (which is an indictment of the school system, but that’s another story) So print materials and even computer materials are most likely not attractive to her, possibly even frightening.
Rather than try to get her to research on her own, maybe you need to try the basic tack of don’t tell, show. Sit down with her and the student(s) you want her to work with, give a clear sample lesson, and have her do the same, first with you supervising and later on her own. You say she has a good heart, so she should be happy to follow something she sees working with the kids.
A caution that I have seen with a number of untrained aides: with all the best intentions in the world, they try to make things easier for the kids. They simplify and leave out the “hard” parts (ie the material that you wanted to be taught), they give the kids the answers rather than letting them struggle on their own, and they show the kids shortcuts which look quick and easy but which you know are dead ends. Do spend some time explaining your goals and why the kids have to do these things in a certain way, and keep an eye out for slipping standards.