Name Card Shuffle

Moments before the start of school on the second day I realized I had not created a new seating chart for my class. Typically, I allow students to sit where they want on the first day of school but create a seating chart on the second. I use the random seat generator within my Learning Management System (LMS) but it isn't perfect and I have to make adjustments for students that need to be near the screen, my audio amplifier or who should most definitely not be next to their friends. My classroom only has movable lab benches for student seating, 9 tables that fit 4 each and they are all full in my AP classes. 

Michael Freeman has a visibly random group generator (here) which has a lot of versatility in terms of group sizes and labeling. But I also needed help learning names (California class sizes of 35+ means a lot of kids across 5 sections) so I wanted name cards. I ended up writing their names on an index card folded in half. I used a different color or each period, going in rainbow order through the day. I put them out on a table and was able to shuffle the cards around pretty easily. While the assignments are mostly random, I did stack two females together so that when the cards are "randomly distributed" there will be two females per table. I placed the cards out of the table and let students find their spots. 


Since then, I have shuffled the cards once to create a new seating chart and plan to do so again next week. When trying to learn new students names, I've noticed that I tend to recall their geographical location in the classroom before I've memorized their space. As in, when I randomly call on a student, I'll turn to where I expect to hear their voice and thus I learn that "Abhi" comes from the back right of my room before I recognize his face. This becomes particularly problematic when you have multiple students that have the same name across periods (this year it's five Abhi's, three Maya's and probably a dozen that go by "Sid"). 

Some students have added little drawings to their name cards which is reminiscent on the name card projects other teachers use to get to know their students. I liked the simplicity of the index card and the fact that it was cheap and easy. If a kid wanted to go by a different name than on his roster I just wrote the preferred name on the other side. If a student dropped, I just recycled their card. I also added their cell phone caddy number to them to help them remember it. Since they have 6 classes that all collect their cell phones, most in an assigned number, that's a lot to remember. 

Setting them out at the start of each period takes a minute and I hope to have their names down soon so I don't have to use them. But I will still set them out on the first day of a new seating chart. I used to print a copy of the seating chart and students would have to consult that to find their spot. It always took time and I usually had to double check they were in the right spot. I plan to shuffle the cards and lay them out right in front of students for the benefit of visible random groups then they will find their seats in the new seating chart. I'll still group my females together in groups of at least two and work on stacking the cards so that my students in need of being near the front of the room are. It's an experiment this year so we shall see how it goes!

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