Choosing a Peer Partner

"Ok!  Everyone find a partner!"


AHHHH!!!


Choosing an appropriate peer partner for cooperative learning can be so hard for kids!

There are so many social aspects that students consider when selecting a partner for an activity, no matter how short that activity is.

Kids are thinking things like:
- Is this person my actual friend? - Yahoo!  I'm just hanging out with my friend now!
- Is this person unpopular?  - No thanks.  I don't want to be seen with THAT kid.
- Is this person a bully?
- Will this person do the work?
- Will this person be kind to me?

What kids do not consider:
- How does my partner choice make other kids feel?
- What am I actually supposed to be doing with this time?  (Oh yeah, learning.)


I had the privilege of co-teaching with some fabulous teachers.  Here's what we did to help kids navigate this tricky social scene: 

We started with a classroom community discussion about choosing partners

• What would it feel like to have no partner?
• What can you do to make sure everyone is included?
• What would it feel like to have your hand up for a partner, and have someone walk right past you to choose someone else?
• How can we all be good friends to each other during this activity?

For different groups, we needed ground rules.  For example:

• Choose each person only once.
• Choose the closest person to you with a hand raised.
• Designate a "lost partners" location, in case there's no one close by to choose (also, some kids just feel more comfortable starting here, so the adults can help navigate the social piece).

I just love cooperative learning.  Quiz and Trade is a great tool to use to get started with cooperative learning strategies! 

What other ground rules would you add to the list?  What other questions would you ask in a community discussion?  I'd love your input!!