How can teacher aides be included in classroom management activities?

Teacher aides can be an integral part in daily classroom management, which is also one of Title 1’s allowable activities. For example, they can assist in developing, monitoring, and enforcing classroom rules and procedures, which can be integrated into lesson plans, school-based interventions, and IEPs. Consequently, based on the planned activities and needs of the students, lesson plans for any and all subjects/periods can reflect any, or all, of the following activities for individual students, selected groups of students, and/or the entire class: 

1. Classroom rules 
   1. Facilitate the participation of student (s) in the development of classroom rules;
   2. Facilitate the participation of student (s) in printing and posting the classroom rules;
   3. Ask student (s) to recite classroom rules and procedures in his/her own words;
   4. Ask students to identify appropriate and inappropriate classroom behaviors based on the rules;
   5. Acknowledge and reward student behavior, which complies with classroom rules and procedures;
   6. Apply teacher selected sanctions to student behavior that violates classroom rules; and
   7. Assist in contacting parent (s) to keep them informed about student's adherence to classroom rules and routines.

2. Classroom procedures –

1. Storing personal belongings;   
2. Using the bathroom or the water fountain;
3. Distributing and collecting materials and assignments;
4. Getting the teacher's attention; 
5. Lining up; 
6. Movement within the classroom or to other school areas; 
7. The proper way to head papers; 
8. Taking down assignments;
9. Handing in and returning homework, class work, projects, and tests; 
10. Scheduling and monitoring routine classroom procedures smoothly and with the least disruption as possible:

                                                               i.      Greeting students as they enter the classroom to identify possible problems that require interventions;

                                                             ii.      “Before – Class – Starts Activities to facilitate transition

                                                            iii.      Facilitating transitions (e.g., taking attendance, tardiness, leaving the room, etc.)

                                                           iv.      Bulletin boards,

                                                             v.      Grades, make-up work, home work collection and distribution) 

11. Rewarding students for a variety of reasons &/or to engaging them in the overall process, the TA can will assist in assigning students to daily classroom tasks he/she enjoys, such as collecting homework, book inventory, operating audio-visual equipment, serving as classroom reporter, area monitor, supply manager, or bus ticket monitor, providing community service within the building (helping librarians clean and shelve books), and engaging in peer tutoring; 

What activities can be assigned to teacher aides in lesson plans to help address behavioral problems?

For students with disabilities, IEPs frequently include a teacher aide to assist in the prevention and/or addressing of challenging student behavior. (Note: Classroom management and classroom discipline is the overall responsibility of the teacher, not the teacher aide.  A teacher aide can assist the teacher by being another pair of eyes or hands, or by focusing their attention on a particular student or small group of students that have challenging behavior.)  Based on the IEP or school-based intervention's requirements, Teacher Aides can be utilized in an array of activities, such as the following, for an individual and/or group of students:

1. Help student (s) identify the:

a.       Factors, including events and/or feelings that may contribute to inappropriate behaviors (see hyperlinked resources);

b.      Rule or procedure that the inappropriate behaviors violate and the consequences

c.       Off-task or otherwise inappropriate behavior, chart this behavior, indicating the frequency, duration, time of day, period or circumstances under which the behavior is most likely to occur (see hyperlinked resources), and interventions that are most and least successful in avoiding or minimizing his inappropriate behavior vs. those interventions that escalate the behavior;

d.      Factors that support his/her ability to behave appropriately in the classroom and how they can be utilized to prevent and address behavioral problems; and

e.       Goals, including alternative behaviors and reinforcements for achieving goals.

2. Once the causes of misbehaviors are hypothesized, either in the IEP, school-based intervention plan, or with the above activities, a teacher aide can also perform the following activities to prevent and/or address behavioral problems:

1. Give attention, verbal cues, or non-verbal cue (e.g., thumbs up) for desired behavior;
2. Provide opportunities for student movement throughout the day;
3. Help to restructure student's activity patterns to avoid settings and situations, which lead to acting out behavior;
4. Use proximity as a tool, move close to the child before she becomes agitated;
5. Gently touch the child to help her stay on task unless otherwise specified in the IEP;
6. Give direct verbal cue, quietly explain what is expected;
7. Offer a choice when possible; and
8. Move the child into a different or smaller group &/or work with student individually when possible problems could occur.