Ideas for Taking Classroom Attendance
Use Seating Charts, Class Rosters, Ice-Breakers, Name Cards
Jul 3, 2008
The traditional procedure of taking attendance at the start of the lesson may help a new teacher create a sense of routine and structure, but it isn't the best way to start the class. New teachers need to develop classroom procedures for how and when to take attendance, as this is an important part of classroom organization.
Taking Attendance After Explaining the Assignment
Taking attendance after the teacher has provided some input and the students are ready to start the activity can be much more effective. Since students have already connected with the academic focus of your lesson plan, they won't be distracted when you do take attendance. Teachers do not necessarily need to call out their names. Just a simple head check should take you only a few minutes.
Taking Attendance As An Ice Breaker Activity
Teachers should ideally get to know the students’ names quickly in order to build a positive and direct relationship. Ice breaker activities during the first few days of school help to get to know the students’ names. This can be very helpful to a new teacher, especially when there are more than two identical names or similarly sounding names.
Taking Attendance Using A Seating Chart
Teachers can use seating plan templates as a means for taking attendance in addition to also getting to know the name of the student. As they walk around the classroom, teachers can simply spot check the students’ name as it appears in the box or seat. This makes it also easier for monitoring and they then can later transfer the information to the classroom roster.
Taking Attendance Using Name Cards
Glancing at the names cards in the elementary classroom helps with time management without spending five to ten minutes on calling the students’ names. The primary focus in still on the teacher. An organizational tip for taking attendance using name cards includes arranging the names in your roster as they appear in rows. This makes it easier when it comes to checking off the names in your classroom attendance book.
Have a System for Taking Attendance
Having a consistent system for taking attendance is a key for effective classroom organization. You can put an "X" or a dash for an absent student. If that particular student came in late, you can circle the "X" or dash. If there is a continuing problem with a student coming to class on time, you can make a line through the circle indicating that you've taken steps to deal with the issue. It doesn't matter what kind of system you have so long as it works for you.
The difference between a noisy and quiet class results from using effective procedures when taking attendance. Experimenting with a few different methods for taking attendance is good way for new teachers to know which procedures are more helpful than others when it comes to organizing and managing a classroom.
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