THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF TEACHER'S ASSISTANT AND CHILD'S ASSISTANT WITHIN THE INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Abstract

The article examines the theoretical and practical aspects of the activity of a teacher's assistant and a child's assistant in the conditions of inclusive education. The historical humane attitude towards persons with limited functional capabilities, which is characteristic of Ukrainian society, has been relied upon. The essence of the inclusive approach is described. The analysis of scientific research in this direction and the existing legislative framework of inclusive education allowed us to conclude that despite the large volume of work on the organization of inclusive education, there are many problems that require immediate resolution. The important question is the division of duties between the teacher, the teacher's assistant and the child's assistant and also the problem of their effective interaction. Special attention is paid to the description of the path of a child with special educational needs to an inclusive educational institution, since the level of social and pedagogical support in the process of inclusive education depends on the adequate determination of the degree of the child's educational difficulties. It is emphasized that the teacher is the organizer of the pedagogical process in the inclusive class, and he/she is responsible for the effectiveness of the pedagogical process. Documents regulating the work of a teacher's assistant have been analyzed. Based on this analysis, the functional duties of a teacher's assistant are described and the aspects of pedagogical activity that are not included in them are highlighted. The purpose of the activity and the main tasks of the child’s assistant are formulated. Their difference between the tasks of a teacher and a teacher's assistant is emphasized. It was noted that despite the fact that there are methodological recommendations on the functions and duties of a teacher's assistant and a pupil's assistant (child) developed by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, in practice their activities are not properly demarcated, which leads to the emergence of conflict situations, weakening of interaction and reduction the level of effectiveness of the entire educational process in the inclusive class. Taking into account the aspects of interaction described in this article will increase the productivity of the interaction between the teacher, the teacher's assistant and the child's assistant. Further research of the problem will be aimed at identifying the effective mechanisms of interaction between the teacher, the teacher's assistant and the child's assistant and specifying the description of the distribution of their functional responsibilities for different nosologies and different levels of educational difficulties of pupils.