THE ACTIVE ROLL CALL
Activities for the development of active listening among peers and active participation of students in school life.
This activity is suitable for each target. In fact, it is possible to adapt the level of difficulty based on the age of our students.
The roll call is one of the most important moments of the day. It should be an activity designed and prepared and used in an active and inclusive way. Instead, the roll call is often made quickly and distractedly, while the students prepare the material on the desk or talk to their classmates. It is therefore experienced as an action of total passivity in which a ‘yes’ or a ‘present’ is answered absently because this is how it was taught.Instead, it should be a moment in which the student consciously answers ”I AM HERE!!” and I am here to learn, listen, share an experience with my classmates.
We therefore thought of suggesting a different way to make the roll call with the aim of making the student an active part of this procedure and above all to develop active listening in the group and for the group through play.
Proposal
The teacher starts the ACTIVE ROLL CALL.
The students in alphabetical order say their name. The only rule is that the items must not overlap. If they overlap, so a partner starts talking before the previous one has finished or gets the order wrong, you have to start again from the beginning.
The activity is really easy to do and explain. It is possible to insert many variations and increase the difficulty gradually. Here are some possible variations:
- Change the phrase or word to use. Example: Present, I am here/Your name, your number/your name and your favorite color and so on.
- Place the children in a circle. Remove the alphabetical order and together with the name the children have to take a step forward. The goal is always not to overlap the voices
- Always in a circle, the step forward becomes a movement of your choice
- Remove the movement and leave only the names always in a circle
- Everyone from their desk, stands up and says the name
- Everyone from their desk just says the name
- Everyone from their desk says only the name but with closed eyes
- Everyone from their desk says their name and one thing they like to do
- …. And let free your imagination!
For each variant I can also enter ”THE CHALLENGE ”. We give children a maximum time within which to reach the goal of saying all the names without making a mistake. The challenge against time must be inserted only after the group has managed to reach the main objective without time limits, namely to say all the names of those present without overlapping.
This activity prepares your students to face the day with joy and involvement. Each member feels recognized both in his individuality and as a fundamental part of the class group. In addition, different areas of the child are involved: the emotional, the cognitive, the physical and the relational.
They start the day having fun, having to actively listen and collaborate with their mates, they can move and raise their energy in a channeled way and they must necessarily have their minds focused on what they are doing. In short, they will be truly PRESENT!
Today’s PASSWORD: Seeing is believing!
