CLASSROOM TOOLS FOR TEACHERS

A single lesson is full of small decisions: who answers, who comes to the board, how groups are formed, what order people present in, who hands out the materials. If you make them yourself, you get complaints about favourites and the same hands go up every time. When chance decides, and everyone can see it, nobody can argue: it is fair, it is quick and students love the suspense. Here is which tool to use at each moment of the lesson, how to get the most out of it, and a few tips so nobody feels put on the spot.

Before you start: one class list for everything

Type the names once (or paste them from a spreadsheet, one per line) into any of the list tools: the name wheel, the random name picker, the team picker, random order or the chore assigner. The same list shows up in all of them, so you never retype it when you switch activities. It is saved in the browser on that device.

The share icon next to the list creates a link with the names inside it: send it to a colleague who teaches the same group, or bookmark one link per class and open the one you need. No account required.

1. Who answers: name wheel or name picker

For questions out loud, the name wheel is the most exciting option: it spins in front of everyone and the whole class watches. If you want nobody to be picked twice until everyone has had a turn, use the random name picker: whoever has been drawn stays out until you reset, so nobody is left out of a round of questions.

The trick is the order: question first, then a pause, then the name. Say the name first and only one student thinks; say it after and they all do. Mary Budd Rowe's research on “wait time” found that when teachers wait around three seconds before calling for an answer, students give longer, more confident answers and say “I don't know” less often.

2. Groups and pairs in five seconds

Letting students pick their own groups always leaves someone out and puts the usual friends together. In the team picker you choose how many groups you want (2 to 8) or how many people per group; in “Per team” mode with 2 or 3 you get random pairs or trios for group work, paired reading or peer marking. If a combination comes up that you know will not work, simply draw again: the final call is still yours.

3. Presentation order and turns

Nobody wants to present first, and choosing the order yourself feels like a punishment. Paste the list into random order and get the full order in one go: presentations, reading aloud, turns on the computer or lining up. Draw it the day before and share the result, so everyone knows when they are up and can prepare.

4. Classroom jobs: who does what

Board monitor, materials monitor, lights, line leader or class rep for the week: type the jobs into the chore assigner and the ladder gives one to each student in front of everyone. If there are more students than jobs, the rest get the week off; draw again every Monday and the rota changes by itself.

5. Review games and practice

• Question or topic wheel: instead of names, put the exam topics or question types on the wheel and spin for revision.
• Vocabulary with Scattergories-style rounds: the random letter generator picks a letter and runs a countdown while students write one word per category (animals, verbs, countries…). It works in any language.
• Mental maths with dice: roll two or three dice and have the class add, subtract or multiply before time runs out. There are dice from 4 to 20 sides to raise the level.
• Exercises with random numbers: the random number generator gives numbers in any range to make up sums, pick the exercise on the page or the quiz question, with a “No repeats” option.
• Review bingo: give each number a word or a problem and call the balls with the bingo caller.

6. Class votes and decisions

To choose between lots of options (the team name, the school trip, the class novel), the decision tournament puts them head to head two at a time and the class votes on each match with a show of hands until one is left. For a tie, flip a coin; and when someone has to choose first, everyone draws a card and the highest starts.

Which tool for each moment

• Calling on a student: name wheel (can repeat) or name picker (no repeats).
• Groups or pairs: team picker.
• Presentation order or turns: random order.
• Classroom jobs: chore assigner.
• Picking by register number: random numbers from 1 to the class size.
• Vocabulary: random letter. Maths: dice.
• Voting between options: decision tournament. Tie-breaks: coin flip.

On the interactive whiteboard or projector

Open the tool on the classroom computer and press “Expand”: the game fills the screen and everything grows so it can be read from the back row. Watching the wheel spin or the ladder climb is part of the fun and, above all, proof that nobody cheated. It also works on a tablet or phone, with nothing to install.

Tips so chance helps instead of scaring

• Explain the rules first: chance decides who answers, not whether the answer is right. Mistakes are part of the activity.
• Offer a way out: “phone a friend” or “pass and I'll come back to you” take the pressure off, and hardly anyone uses them to dodge.
• Repeats or no repeats: no repeats is fairer for a round; with repeats (the wheel) nobody switches off thinking their turn is over.
• Hide absent students: on the wheel and the name picker, the eye icon hides a student without deleting them; show them again the next day.
• Your judgement comes first: if a student is picked to read aloud and you know it will be hard for them, change the task or spin again. Chance is there to help you, not to tie your hands.
• Praise effort, not luck: the applause is for the answer, not for being picked.

Student privacy

Lists are saved only in the browser of the device you use: they are not sent to our servers, and there are no accounts, emails or personal data involved. Even so, with children it is wise to use first names, initials or register numbers only. On a shared computer, clear the list when you finish (“Clear all”). And remember that the link for sharing the list carries the names inside it: only send it to people who should have them.

The randomness comes from the browser's cryptographic generator, the same one used for encryption: every student has exactly the same chance, and the tool does not remember who was picked in other lessons.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free? Do I need to sign up?

Yes, it is free, with no sign-up and no downloads. It works in the browser of the classroom computer, the interactive whiteboard, a tablet or a phone.

How do I save the list for each class?

The list is saved in the browser and appears in every list tool. If you teach several groups, press the share icon on each class list and bookmark that link: opening it brings that class back.

How do I stop the same student being picked all the time?

With the name picker nobody repeats until everyone has been drawn. On the wheel everyone has the same chance on every spin, so someone can come up again; if you do not want that, hide whoever has already answered.

What happens to my students' data?

The names stay on your device: they are not sent to any server. For extra peace of mind, use first names, initials or register numbers.

Can I use it on an interactive whiteboard?

Yes. Press “Expand” and the tool fills the screen, with everything larger so it can be seen from the back of the room.

How do I leave out a student who is absent?

On the wheel and the name picker, press the eye next to their name: they are hidden without being deleted and do not take part. Show them again the next day.

Keep reading

• Icebreakers with a touch of randomness — Eight group activities for classrooms, work teams and camps: question wheel, dice-driven storytelling, mixed random teams and more.
• How to do a fair random draw — Five steps that leave nobody room to complain: clean list, rules set in advance, a truly random method, recorded proof and backup winners.