For 'epilepsy awareness', DON'T put anything in their mouth. They won't swallow their tongue, and they're likely to bite your finger since they're not in control. Move away anything that might hurt them and let them ride it out. When they're over the jerking phase and in the 'blank' phase, gently roll them over onto their side in the recovery position. The blank phase can last 10 minutes to half an hour, and the seizures generally only last a few minutes. Talking to them in calm, reassuring tones may help them to break out of the petit mal part (the blank stare).
In the last handful of years, they've changed the name to 'Clonic Tonic seizure' (used to be Grand Mal). Clonic is the thrashing or jerking part, and Tonic is the absence phase.
Any seizure can contain some of the elements of a Clonic Tonic seizure, though the full set is less common. Most often it's just a Tonic seizure (blank stare). You might not even notice it, or think they're daydreaming.