As a supply teacher in London you will have the opportunity to work in a range of schools. This is a great experience that allows you to grow and challenge your teaching abilities, however, it may present some unique challenges.
Taking registration in the morning should be one of the less stressful tasks of the day. However, many supply teachers and Newly Qualified Teachers report that this can sometimes be trickier than it appears. Here are some great ideas to help you take registration efficiently and make it a fun and engaging start to any lesson!
Be Prepared
Be sure to read through the list of names for any difficult pronunciations before students arrive for class. This will help you avoid any potentially embarrassing moments and get class off to a smooth start!
Pick a Student
Reward a well behaved student to read the registration on your behalf Alternatively, give them the responsibility for marking the role silently as the class settle. The selected student will likely feel special for being given the extra responsibility. This option will also help eliminate the chance of students swapping names or seats!
Whiteboard Privileges
Allow each student to write their name on the whiteboard as they enter the class. As a privilege usually bestowed to one, your students are likely to will likely be more than willing to participate!
Play a Game
Start the class with an unexpected and fun game. This will engage the students and make them much more likely to listen to you when you are ready to call the registration.
Ask a question
Make registration more interesting by following each name with a question. This will help to hold their attention as well as being a great way to get to know your students and build rapport in a short amount of time.
For example:
Teacher: Alex
Student: Here
Teacher: Good morning, Alex!
What did you do last night?
Name Cards
Hand name cards around the room asking them to select themselves and place the card face-up in the corner of their desk. The cards returned are the absentees. The name cards will assist you to identify the students name quicker and help when calling on pupils throughout class.
Attendance Board
If you have a regular class consider drawing up a class attendance board. The students can tick next to their name when they arrive each day.
Get Active
Use registration as an active way to start the day. Have the students stand up and pass a soft ball to the first student called. Once they have caught the ball they pass it to the next student and then sit down. The last student throws the ball back to the teacher and takes their seat with the rest of the class.
Hide-And-Seek
For lower key stages try hiding nametags around the classroom and allow a short time at the beginning of class for the students to find their name and hand it in. The first student to find their name can get a small reward.
Do you have any other ideas for how to take registrations efficiently and effectively? Please comment below or find us on Facebook and Twitter – we LOVE hearing from you!