Student Contributor: Ashlynn Thielen
This tool is helpful because it allows the teacher to place the students into quick and easy groups for transition times. This is also just a fun age-appropriate way to divide the kiddos. The theme can be adjusted to really any theme!
This tool should be used during transition times, for turn and talk as well as collaboration and group work. For my personal classroom each student has the student card on their desk that lists the 6 different groupings (i.e., burger & fries, Chips & Queso) with their partner for each group on it, so they can quickly glance at it and identify who their partner is for this activity. For example when we are working on math and I’m introducing a new topic I say “ alright third graders go ahead and quietly grab your green dot work book and join me on the carpet with your bacon and Eggs partner” and then I give them the opportunity to “turn and talk with your bacon and eggs partner”
I placed the Partners in the Preventative category because that is the best fit. The Partners are
a tool you need to set up at the at the start of each quarter/semester or trimester. Students need to understand the procedure for when and why we use each one. It relates to the Supportive phase because that is when we use it most. The correlation the partner groupings might have to the Corrective phase would be that some of the corrective issues you encounter are automatically resolved by more effective use of the Partner pairings as a transition tool. As a transition tool, the use of the pre-selected partner pairings could fit any theory of influence. I believe it best fits the Collaborative and teacher directed Management Toolbox Tool Template theories. I say this because the purpose in using such a device for transitioning is based on the need to be efficient in each other’s time as well as avoid potential conflicts in a student friendly way.
More Information –
Tool Source: I’m Unsure who originally came up with this. But we use this in my placement classroom, and I love it and really value it!
