Effective Cover Supervision

In this course, you will gain a clear understanding of the role and responsibilities of a Cover Supervisor, including what the position entails and what it does not. You will explore the four key aspects of classroom management and learn how positive attitudes contribute to effective classroom practice. The course also covers how to harness professional status, use reflection tools for ongoing development, and understand the impact of learning differences on communication. Additionally, you will learn a variety of communication methods to engage with a class, discover techniques for positive disruption, and identify essential tools to confidently take control of a classroom.

In this module, you will consider what is a Cover Supervisor actually entails whilst also thinking about the kind of psychological preparation required to take over a class effectively. This module covers the first two aspects of that preparation, namely what is involved in classroom management and how the Cover Supervisor’s attitude affects what can be achieved.

In this module, you will consider two further aspects of how to prepare effectively for the role of Cover Supervisor. In this module, they will learn what they ‘are’ and ‘are not’ responsible for whilst in the classroom and reflect on the idea of how they gain the status required to project an effective level of authority. They will also learn to use a recognised reflection tool to ensure continuing professional development on the job.

We will think more deeply in this module about the experience that the cover supervisor has when covering a lesson with the students. So far, we have learned a great deal about ‘taking over’, making our presence felt as a cover supervisor and balancing all the different responsibilities that come with managing a classroom. In this module, we will focus more on the importance of ‘communication’ within the learning environment and its impact on what will actually be learned.

In the previous module, you started to think about the impact you can have by the way in which you communicate in a classroom. In this final module, you will expand these ideas further to think more about non-verbal messages that can be used to communicate with and control a class. This includes a way of re-engaging a group that has become restless or jaded to ensure that an effective learning environment is maintained throughout a cover lesson.

Effective Cover Supervision

What you'll learn

Course content

Module One: Preparing to Take Over (Part 1)

Module Two: Preparing to Take Over (Part 2)

Module Three: Communication in the Classroom (Part 1)

Module Four: Communication in the Classroom (Part 2)