Child A has varied needs and I have planned as shown in the assignment how best to meet his needs.

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Introduction

The child observed goes to a mainstream primary school is six years old and started year one in September 2005. I have done a series of four observations all carried out during different activities and play settings. To respect confidentiality I have referred to the child as child A. I have found out that Child A has varied needs and have planned as shown in the assignment how best to meet his needs.

Task 2 - A description of the needs of the pupil

I have come to recognise that Child A needs a lot of adult support. Bruner emphasises the importance of the adult in supporting or 'scaffolding' children's thinking and learning. The Teaching Assistant offers support to the child until they are ready to stand-alone. Bruner also emphasises the adult 'skills' of recognising where and when this support is needed and when it should be removed.

Looking at the observations (please see Appendix A & D) child A goes off task quite easily during adult planned lessons such as Literacy and Numeracy. This could be due to the possibility that he finds these particular subjects difficult. As you can see from the observations Child A lacks concentration and interest throughout the lessons and he finds it difficult to sit still for long periods of time, he is either fiddling with a chair, rocking or annoying another child who is sat near him. According to Tassoni rocking is a comfort behaviour that can be caused by tiredness, boredom, or temporary stress. (Tassoni & Beith, 2000, p.203). It could also be down to the classroom environment and learning styles offered. Here it is important that the teacher or the Teaching Assistant try to engage him by re-involving him in the task. It is also important to keep distractions to a minimum as this well help the child to focus on what he is doing. It may help to vary the pace of learning or to use other methods of learning such as Kinaesthetic Learning. During the puppet session (Appendix B) you can see how different Child A's behaviour is while he is active and doing something he enjoys. He was very involved in the whole process and enjoyed the adult support he received from the teaching assistant. Child A was more engaged when taking part in something he enjoyed and where he was on the move. It is said that 'Kinaesthetic Learners learn best by doing things and having the opportunity to move about. Kinaesthetic learners cannot sit still for long and may need regular breaks and that they often fiddle with things'. (Kamen, 2003, p.83).

Factors which may have influenced the behaviour of the observed pupil

There are many factors that can influence children's behaviour; quite often the way that children behave reflects how they feel about themselves or what is happening around them. Below are a list of some of the factors that may have affected Child A during the observations:

* Background of the child - the child may have had unsettled experiences, he comes from a large family where one on one time can be difficult to find. These experiences affect the child's personality and can affect the child's ability and confidence when socialising with others.

* Self-esteem - If the child self-esteem is low he may display disruptive behaviour. There are many reasons why Child A may have low self-esteem such reasons could be due to poor relationships at home, little time spent with family figures. He may not think that he can complete the task, which has been set. If you can raise a child's self-esteem and make them feel better about themselves then you will enable them to become better learners and be more settled in school. (Fox, 2001, p.20).

* Tiredness - During one of the observations (see Appendix A), Child A closed his eyes this could be a sign of tiredness.

* Noise Levels in the classroom - Too much noise can lead to distractions it is important to keep distraction to a minimum. Pupils cannot learn if they are distracted by their own behaviour. Teachers need to create and maintain classroom conditions in which they are able to teach and pupils are able to learn. (Behaviour4learning, 2005).

* Weather - the weather has been known to alter a child's behaviour especially if it is windy and raining heavily.

* Difficulty understanding the task - Burnham suggests that if a child is unable to complete a task poor behaviour may result as the child will not be able to focus his attention on the activity. This may be due to the teacher giving the child an inappropriate task for his/her ability, but could also but due to an undiagnosed learning difficulty. (Burnham, 2002, p.10).

* Sat too long - Possibly needs shorter sessions with more interaction

* Ability to concentrate - children vary in their ability to concentrate on tasks and to sit and listen when required. Some children have a short concentration span and the task might be too long for them to complete.

* Teaching Styles - Teachers need to be aware of the different learning styles and how long children are able to focus on a task so that the work given or the time they are required to sit still is not too challenging for them.

* Motivation - This can directly affect the child's learning, as it is the child's interest and desire to learn which they have in the task they are doing. If a child is not interested or unable to do the task they may become demotivated.

* Supply Teacher - During the Literacy observation (Appendix A) a supply teacher was taking the lesson, although he is a permanent member he is new to the school and the change of routine could have made a difference to the child's behaviour.

A description of two activities which will support the pupils needs

Below are two activities that I feel will support the child's needs.

Small Group Work

Target - For child A to develop his self-esteem and concentration

Strategies - To give the child achievable planned tasks with Teaching Assistant support and rewards for the child's efforts.

Evaluation - Teaching Assistant and class teacher to monitor Child A through assessments and to verbally exchange any other important information regarding the child's performance.

Working together in pairs and in small groups will help Child A to learn and develop the social skills needed for co-operation and teamwork and help develop his concentration and boost his self-esteem. He will need to be offered achievable planned tasks broken down into manageable steps so that he will be able to complete each step successfully, once he has achieved this stage without difficulty the next step can be taken. Group work can be a great benefit for children; it can be fun and can make a child feel like they belong. Bruner and Vygotsky believed that a pupil's potential for learning is often realised while engaged in interaction with someone more knowledgeable within the group. This may be a Teaching Assistant but could equally be another child. Therefore, group work encourages pupils to share their ideas through discussion and also provides mutual support. This can lead to personal success and a raised self-esteem. (Burnham, 2002, p.42).

-1 Support with Teaching Assistant in the classroom

Target - for Child A to be able to sit in class and complete his tasks for the lessons.
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Strategies - To offer support with his tasks during teaching sessions and offer rewards for skills shown.

Evaluation - For TA and class teacher to monitor Child A through self-assessment, observations and verbal communication.

A teaching assistant can offer more intensive support for an individual; this gives the teacher chance to concentrate on teaching the rest of the class. This ensures that all the pupils' needs are met in an inclusive way. Individual support allows the Teaching Assistant to give pupils special individual time and will help to reinforce positive behaviour. One to one support helps ...

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