As the New Year approaches, it’s the perfect time for supply staff to refresh their digital toolkits. Being a supply teacher comes with its unique challenges – adapting to new environments, navigating different schools and managing varying lesson plans. Fortunately, the right digital resources can make your role more efficient, engaging and enjoyable for both yourself and your students.
We’ve collated a list of some of the most essential digital tools, which will help you thrive in your classroom assignments, no matter where your next placement takes you.
1. TES (Times Educational Supplement)
- What It Offers: TES is a well-known platform offering a wide range of lesson plans, teaching resources and activities created by educators. These resources are aligned with the UK National Curriculum and can be used across all key stages.
- Features:
- A large collection of free and paid resources for all subjects and key stages.
- Ready-made lesson plans, PowerPoints, worksheets and classroom activities.
- Resources that cater to special educational needs (SEN) and other diverse learning needs.
2. BBC Bitesize
- What It Offers: BBC Bitesize is a free online resource offering bite-sized lessons, videos, quizzes and interactive tools, ideal for supporting both lesson planning and student engagement.
- Features:
- Curriculum-aligned resources for Key Stages 1-5 in England.
- Support for GCSEs and A-Levels, with structured lesson content for revision.
- Engaging multimedia content for use in both remote and classroom learning.
Pro Tip for Digital Lesson Planning:
Use Templates and Pre-Designed Resources: When planning lessons digitally, leverage customisable templates or pre-designed lesson plans. This will save you time while ensuring you’re following the curriculum guidelines. TES offer ready-made lesson templates, which allow you to tweak them according to your class needs without starting from scratch. This can greatly reduce planning time and increase consistency in delivering quality lessons.
1. ClassDojo
- What It Offers: ClassDojo is a popular classroom management tool that helps educators engage students, track their behaviour and communicate with parents. It allows teachers to create a positive learning environment by rewarding students for good behaviour and progress.
- Features:
- Real-time feedback and behaviour tracking.
- Communication tool to keep parents updated on their child’s progress.
- Customisable rewards and point systems.
- Available as a mobile app, making it easy to use in and out of the classroom.
2. TeacherKit
- What It Offers: TeacherKit is a comprehensive classroom management app that allows educators to track attendance, monitor student behaviour, and record results.
- Features:
- Student behaviour tracking and performance monitoring.
- Seating chart management.
- Student progress tracking.
- Reports for communicating with parents.
Pro Tip for Digital Classroom Management:
Use Collaborative Tools: When planning lessons digitally, try using cloud-based tools like Google Docs or Microsoft OneNote for collaborative lesson planning. These tools allow multiple educators to work on the same plan simultaneously, share feedback in real time and easily access the plans from anywhere. This helps streamline the planning process and ensures consistency across lessons.
*Before using any classroom management tools or electronic devices, supply staff should always check the school’s policies regarding their use. This is especially important when handling student data or engaging in communication with parents, as each school may have specific guidelines and restrictions to ensure privacy and compliance with safeguarding practices.*
1. Kahoot
- What It Offers: Kahoot! is a widely used interactive learning platform that allows educators to create fun, game-based quizzes and activities to engage students. It’s ideal for formative assessments and energising classroom activities.
- Features:
- Create custom quizzes and games that are interactive and engaging.
- Gamification elements like leaderboards and timed questions to keep students motivated.
- Integration with Google Classroom and other learning management systems.
- Works well for in-person, remote or hybrid classrooms.
2. Quizlet
- What It Offers: Quizlet is a platform where educators can create and share interactive flashcards and study games. It’s perfect for reviewing and reinforcing knowledge through self-paced learning and gamified experiences.
- Features:
- Teachers can create custom flashcards, quizzes and games.
- Variety of learning modes (matching games, practice tests and more).
- Tracks student progress and provides performance reports.
Pro Tip for Interactive Teaching Platforms:
Incorporate Immediate Feedback: When using interactive platforms like Kahoot! or Quizlet, make sure to incorporate real-time feedback during quizzes or activities. This helps to instantly clarify misconceptions, reinforce learning and keep students engaged. Platforms like Kahoot! even allow instant feedback and explanations after each question, which is key for improving student understanding and participation.
1. Seneca Learning
- What It Offers: Seneca Learning is a free, interactive platform offering subject-specific resources and revision tools, designed primarily for GCSE and A-Level students. It provides engaging, interactive lessons with built-in quizzes and assessments.
- Features:
- Subjects covered: Science, English, Maths, History, Geography and more.
- Interactive lessons with spaced repetition to improve long-term retention.
- Personalised learning pathways and progress tracking.
- Perfect for independent learning or classroom use.
2. The National STEM Learning Centre
- What It Offers: The National STEM Learning Centre offers a wealth of resources specifically for STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths). It provides lesson plans, experiments and teaching tools.
- Features:
- Curriculum-aligned resources for KS1 to KS5.
- Access to free STEM activities, experiments, and lesson plans.
- Resources created by experienced STEM educators and experts.
Pro Tip for Subject-Specific Resources:
Combine Digital and Physical Resources: For subject-specific teaching, consider blending online resources with physical materials like textbooks, lab equipment or printed worksheets. This hybrid approach helps cater to different learning styles and keeps students engaged. For example, while using Seneca Learning for interactive quizzes, you can supplement the learning with hands-on activities or experiments, especially in subjects like Science and Maths.
1. Evernote
- What It Offers: Evernote is a robust platform for organising notes, lesson plans and to-do lists in one central location. It allows educators to create notebooks, add multimedia content and sync across devices for easy access anywhere.
- Features:
- Create organised notebooks by subjects, classes or projects.
- Attach images, PDFs and links directly to notes.
- Powerful search functionality, including handwriting recognition.
- Collaborate with colleagues by sharing notes or notebooks.
2. Trello
- What It Offers: Trello is a visual project management tool that helps you to organise tasks, lesson plans and schedules using boards, lists and cards. It’s ideal for tracking progress on projects and keeping everything in order.
- Features:
- Drag-and-drop task cards to categorise and prioritise.
- Use checklists, deadlines and labels for better organisation.
- Share boards with colleagues for collaboration.
- Integration with tools like Google Drive and OneDrive for file attachments.
Pro Tip for Organisation and Note-Taking:
Use tags and categories: Whether you’re using Evernote, Trello or another tool, make use of tags, categories or labels to organise your content effectively. For example, you can tag notes by subjects, key stages or deadlines. This makes it easier to find specific information quickly, even when you’re juggling multiple classes or projects.
1. Education Support
- What It Offers: Education Support is a UK-based charity that provides mental health and wellbeing support specifically for educators. It offers free, confidential help via a 24/7 helpline and resources to manage stress, workload, and emotional health.
- Features:
- Free helpline: 08000 562561 for advice and support.
- Wellbeing workshops and resources for teachers and school staff.
- Guidance on managing stress, building resilience and achieving work-life balance.
2. Headspace for Educators
- What It Offers: Headspace provides free access to its mindfulness and meditation app for educators. It includes guided meditations, stress-relief exercises and sleep aids designed to support mental wellbeing.
- Features:
- Guided meditations to reduce stress and improve focus.
- Sleep tools and relaxation exercises.
- Dedicated content for educators, such as coping with classroom challenges.
Pro Tip for Wellbeing:
Set Clear Boundaries: Protect your wellbeing by establishing clear boundaries between work and personal life. Use tools like scheduling apps to block out personal time and resist the urge to check emails outside work hours. Pair this with mindfulness practices, such as using Headspace for a 5-minute reset during busy days, to stay balanced and grounded.
