Forming groups by random assignment is a quick, effective and sometimes fun way to put students in groups. This type of assignment also promotes social learning by randomly selecting students to work together and get to know classmates they might otherwise not choose to work with. A common technique used to randomly assign students is to ask them to line up and count off. For example, to form three groups, tell students all "ones" will be in group "A," all "twos" in group B and all "threes" in group C. Then count off, "one, two, three, one, two, three, ..." Other techniques include putting students' names in a hat and drawing groups, playing a game and fill groups in order of who wins or is "it," or labeling the bottom of chairs and telling students to sit anywhere.
By matching students by interests in a group, students might build stronger relationships with one another based on these shared interests. To match students by interest (or opinion), the teacher must identify some interest criteria to use for assigning groups. Surveys or questionnaires can be distributed to students assessing students in multiple areas and the data can be used to make groups. Quicker ideas include asking children to raise their hands when you name their interest, such as a favorite subject: math, social science, history or science. Write down what students select. This data can be used to match groups with similar interests, or can also be used to match groups by intentionally making sure different interests (or viewpoints) are represented in each group.
Groups can be created using performance and academic achievement data. Group students with other students who perform at their level. This can be useful when differentiating instruction by assigning a group project or reading book to each group based on difficulty level to ensure all students are being challenged. This data can also be used to create groups that intentionally include students with different skill levels. The benefit of this type of group is that students often work together, support one another's success, mentor one another, build self-esteem and improve social skills.
Children get excited when they are involved in the decision-making process and empowering students helps them learn to make good choices, while teaching them about social democracy. Involving students in the group-forming process allows students to do much more than just grouping together with friends. Ask students to vote on the technique that will be used, ask students to decide who to put into groups (specify a goal such as "grouping students who don't know one another well") or ask students to come up with their own ideas. After students have worked in groups they helped form, ask students to discuss feedback, reflection and areas of improvement, which will help them the next time they form groups.