Putting words in their mouths: The role of teaching assistants and the spectre of scripted pedagogy

Abstract

National governments in Britain have consistently promised that, while they would legislate for a curriculum, it would not tell teachers how to teach. Our article suggests, however, that this policy is compromised with the current programme to `remodel the workforce' and augment the role of the classroom or teaching assistant. It does this in three ways. First, it examines the likelihood that what a teacher is may subtly change and overlap with the TA's new role. Second, it argues that despite what the government says, TAs will have little professional authority to question centrally determined initiatives regarding methods and approaches to teaching. And third, it takes a detailed and critical look at recommendations for teaching and learning contained within the government's publication Additional Literacy Support . This national programme for seven-year-old pupils comes complete with `Example Scripts' that are said to model `a perfect lesson' for TAs to imitate. We reflect upon these scripted lessons in detail, suggest that their view of perfection is at best contentious and conclude with the possibility that TAs may increasingly come to serve as a conduit for a centrally contrived pedagogy.