Is Every Student In The Right Place?

In Chess, we try to place a piece in a location from where it can move and act in as many directions as possible. This is the optimum position for this piece. When you play chess, if you place each of your pieces in a place from which they can move in multiple directions, you set yourself up for success.

It is the same in class teams, group activities, and classroom roles. Different students perform well in different roles. Identifying their strengths, and matching them with the appropriate roles, will help build strong teams that function well. By placing a strong writer in a position where they don’t need to write, you inhibit the overall functioning of the group. Similarly, by asking a student who is not artistic, to create art, you put that student in an uncomfortable and even frustrating position. Of course, as teachers, we also need to provide opportunities for every student to learn and develop new skills.

Review the way in which you have assigned teams or groups for classroom activities. Is every student able to function and use all their skills and talents freely?

What are some things you keep in mind while assigning students into groups?