Find A Partner

I know a lot of teachers use a variety of strategies that remove the uncomfortable (and potentially devastating) feelings that come with being unable to find a partner.  I know them because I use a lot of them:

Playing Cards

Clothes Pins

Apps like Randomly

On occasion, however, I also ask my students to find a partner… but I always add in an additional instruction:

“Once you’ve found someone, look around the room to see if someone hasn’t found anyone.  Invite that person to join you.”

There’s nothing worse that not being chosen.  There’s nothing better than being invited to join a group just as that feeling is setting in.

I’ve been doing this ever since I read a great blog post by Royan Lee about Social Club.
Sometimes all it takes is a reminder to our students to look out for one another.

 

 
*Thank you to Stuart Burns for his playing card image.