MS/HS School Life Centered Education (LCE) Teaching Assistant at The International School of Kenya

Reports To:

• Middle/High School Life Centered Education Teacher and Head of Student Support Services

Scope of Responsibilities:

• The LCE Teaching Assistant is supervised by the LCE teacher and works to support LCE students in the middle and high school, by providing assistance to individuals or small groups of developmentally disabled students. He/she also provides clerical and other classroom support services to the LCE teacher.

Overall Responsibilities:

•  Collaborate with colleagues
•  Communicate regularly with the LCE Teacher, Head of Student Support Services (SSS) and classroom teachers
•  Provide instructional assistance to LCE students
•  Provide support for the inclusion in class activities for LCE students
•  Attend relevant departmental, divisional, and K-12 professional meetings as necessary
•  Promote a positive learning environment
•  Assume responsibility for meaningful professional growth
•  Perform other duties as needed or reasonably assigned by the LCE Teacher, Head of SSS or Divisional Principal

Abilities:

• The LCE Teaching Assistant possesses the ability to recognize and work with the specific needs
• of students in the LCE program. Candidates must be able to demonstrate understanding,
• patience, and empathy for the special needs of their students. This includes the ability to
• recognize and adjust for the limitations and strengths of the students and encourage and support
• their inclusion in the mainstream classes, programs and activities throughout the school. The
• candidate must be able to work with students towards the goal of mainstreaming and inclusion within the general student population.

Specific Roles/Responsibilities:

•  Provide a safe, supportive, and fun environment that motivates and challenges students
•  Provide direct support to students in both the LCE and inclusive Classrooms
•  Supervise students on a daily basis as determined by the LCE team:
  • during unstructured time and in the canteen in order to maintain student safety and to develop their life skills, social skills, and physical skills
  • when transitioning between classes
  • during inclusion in their mainstream classes
•  Provide a safe, supportive, and fun environment that motivates and challenges students
•  Physically assist students with daily living tasks such as eating, using the bathroom, and dressing, as determined by individual student needs
•  Work closely within the LCE team to:
  •  prepare demonstrations, visual aids, and adapted material
  •  partner with LCE to teacher to develop, implement and adapt curriculum
  •  deliver the tailored curriculum to individual students or small groups of students
  •  partner with LCE teacher to monitor, collect and track student data and use it to support students learning
  •  independently work with small groups of students and manage (sometimes) challenging behaviors
  •  gather data and document progress or behavior for individual students in a consistent and agreed upon manner
  •  develop and implement students’ learning and behavioral plans with a focus on assisting them to meet their IEP goals
  •  provide parents with activities to support their children at home
•  Implement recommendations from specialists in speech and language, occupational and physical therapy, and sensory integration under the direction of the LCE teacher
•  Participate in and supervise an intercultural trip (2-4 days) or class field trip as required

Required Qualifications, Skills and Qualities:

•  Bachelor’s Degree in Special Needs/Education
•  Experience working with middle school and high school school students
•  Strong interpersonal and communication skills
•  Strong student advocacy skills
•  Strong organization skills
•  Good computer skills
•  Fluent English speaker with proficient writing and spelling skills
•  Student-centered and nurturing personality
•  Commitment to collaborative planning
•  Self-motivated and demonstrates initiative, flexibility, and creativity
•  Has a professional and ethical approach to work
•  Commitment to continuous personal and professional growth
•  Commitment to ISK’s Mission and Educational Aims
•  Self-management (such as problem-solving, good communication, time management, and relationship building)
•  Self-awareness (identify and acknowledge own emotions and the way they affect behavior and general attitude)
•  Social awareness (understanding the emotional needs and responses of the people around you, showing empathy, noticing various emotional cues from others)
•  Relationship management (be able to create healthy, functional, and productive relationships with others by clearly communicating thoughts, positively influencing others with words and actions, and successfully working within a team)

Preferred Qualifications, Skills and Qualities:

•  Experience working with children with special needs
•  Experience with adaptive technology
•  Experience with designing and implementing high-quality reading instruction to students with reading needs including mild-moderate reading disabilities.
•  Ability to administer and interpret reading assessments to determine reading needs
•  Ability to provide explicit instruction using reading intervention practices to students with identified reading needs.