Secondary teachers' perspectives on their work with teacher assistants

Over the past 30 years Australia has followed a similar trajectory to many developed countries as the number of teacher assistants (TAs) employed in mainstream schools has increased steadily, predominantly as a means by which to support students with disability. Currently in Australia there is no mandated formal qualification required to work as a TA. In many instances TAs are employed in schools to provide support for students with disability, under the assumption that these students depend on TA support to access and participate in education. Ineffective support from TAs has been shown to impact negatively on the learning outcomes of students and may lead to students feeling isolated and stigmatised. This chapter focuses on a study which examined secondary teachers’ perspectives about working with TAs. The study examined how teachers and TAs collaborate in a secondary school context as well as what teachers identify as helping or hindering their work together.