random student pickerRandom student picker

Call on every student, not just the raised hands

Set up as a classroom tool, the name picker here has its list titled Students, and Remove picked names is on, so a student who has answered leaves the pool until everyone has had a turn. Paste your class roster once (one name per line, straight from a spreadsheet works). It stays saved in this browser for tomorrow’s lesson. Press Pick or the Space bar, and the reel rolls on the board and stops on a name.

Routines that work with a random picker

• Ask first, pick second. Pose the question, give ten seconds of thinking time, then pick. Everyone prepares an answer because anyone could be called.
• Phone a friend. A picked student who is stuck can pick a classmate to help, then gets the next question back.
• Classroom jobs. Draw the line leader, board cleaner or homework collector for the week, with no complaints about favorites.
• Presentation order. Set the picker to 10 names to draw the order of ten presenters in one go.
• Reading turns. Pick the next reader at the end of each paragraph, so attention stays on the text.

Keeping it kind

Random calling can make shy students nervous. Agree on a “pass, then come back” rule, where a student may pass once and gets asked again a few minutes later. Check pronunciation of new names before they appear on the big screen, and use first names only if you project the list.

Who has had a turn

Under the reel, a line shows how many students have been picked out of the class. The history keeps the order of the day. Press Reset when everyone has answered, or at the start of the next lesson.

For group work, split the same list with the random groups of 4 or random pairs.