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Choosing teams in gym class

Forum: National Association for Sport & Physical Education » Elementary Physical Education » Choosing teams in gym class « Previous Next »

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Leah Marie Bazzano (Lmb6799)
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Post Number: 5
Registered: 3-2006
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 11:47 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

What do you think is the best and most fair way to pick teams in gym class? Why do you think this way is fair? Because I know in my highschool our teacher picked captains then they picked the teams which I dont think its fair at all. Because everyone picks their friends and the best players. Any suggestions?
Gerry Cernicky (Pingeyez2)
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Username: Pingeyez2

Post Number: 9
Registered: 2-2005
Posted on Sunday, May 07, 2006 - 6:04 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Try this :ask two studenst to pick a partner then ask when to sit down, the teams are standing versus sitting.Or by colors , birthdays or apparel. The onus is not to make winning important, then hey will come to understand its meaning. Engage in activities that work on not keeping score and improving on a previous performance, this is done with adapting the rules to each classes abilities.
Terry M. Stiehler II (Stiehler25)
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Post Number: 2
Registered: 9-2006
Posted on Sunday, September 24, 2006 - 2:07 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Depending on the given activity either divide the class up into males and females or line them up and have them count off into groups. Dividing them up into males and females gives the students a comfort level, for example during a snapping lesson in football, it's better to have the males snap to each other. Counting students off into separate groups ensures an even disribution of the class, and also eliminates any types of favoritism.
Jim Clairmont (2talll)
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Post Number: 7
Registered: 3-2006
Posted on Thursday, February 01, 2007 - 11:15 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

The quickest way I've found to pick teams, which also ends up making the teams as close to fair as you're going to get is to have each child pick a partner. Don't say anything about selecting teams- that way they'll pick a friend that is generally the same skill level. Then have them sit along a pre-determined line with their feet touching their partner's feet. One side of the line is one team, the other side is the other team.
Howard Weiss (Weissice)
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Username: Weissice

Post Number: 4
Registered: 12-2005
Posted on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 2:59 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I use 5 by 7 index cards. Each card has the name of the student and his/her class. I keep records on these cards. When it is time to choose groups, teams, monitors, etc., I mix up the cards. I have a student tell me when to stop mixing. I then simply call out the names in order of the cards. Additonally, I rarely play games which divide one half the class against the other. When you do this, the students generally focus on the product (winning and losing) and not the process (skill building). Better off if you play small sided games: 2 on 2, 3 on 3, etc.
cindy smith (Cgsmith24)
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Post Number: 5
Registered: 3-2007
Posted on Thursday, March 22, 2007 - 8:05 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

i think you, as the teacher, have to divide the tems up equally for the competition to be fair.
they should be divided before the class arrives and posted. that way no one gets picked last. If the teams are stacked (which can happen when two captains pick) then the stacked team will always win, and the same students are always picked last and that can be hurtful.
Stephanie (Spaine)
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Username: Spaine

Post Number: 17
Registered: 9-2006
Posted on Friday, March 23, 2007 - 11:37 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

What I do to make two teams is this. I choose two boys or girls of equal ability and send them off to separate areas. Then I choose two more students of equal ability and so on. Each time I choose, I make sure that I am picking students with low level ability toward the front end of the "picks" as well as the middle and the end. Sometimes the athletic kids will be picked last and nobody really knows who I think is athletic and who isn't. These picks go very fast so it doesn't waste much time at all.
Danielle Stanbro (Dns9281)
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Registered: 1-2007
Posted on Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 11:38 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

In my high school the teachers pre-pick the teams before class. They choose teams by the level of skill they have. They thought it would be most beneficial to put people with lower level of skill with people who have a higher level of skill, so they can help each other. When picking the teams they made sure not to put all friends on a single team.
Eileen Mathews (Emathews)
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Post Number: 4
Registered: 10-2005
Posted on Monday, April 16, 2007 - 12:09 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

To Leah Marie Bazzano

I teach middle school PE. My colleague and I divide teams by birthdate, bithday, Month, height, hair color, tall sock or short socks, color of shorts, etc. We try to find something different each time. We can also ensure that the "good " players are divided amongst the teams
Hope this helps
Eileen Mathews
Darnell Stanford (Dms8100)
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Posted on Thursday, October 04, 2007 - 1:00 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I believe the best way to make even teams is for the teacher to pick teams before class. Teachers will know who is excelling in the activity and who is struggling. Using this method the teacher can properly pair the stronger students with the weaker ones to even out the teams.
Dallas Byers Black (Dallas_b)
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Username: Dallas_b

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Registered: 11-2007
Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 8:40 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I feel the best way for the teams to be even is for the teacher to pick the teams. If the students pick the teams they tend to pick the better athletes or their friends. By the teacher picking the teams this elimates the team stacking. With the teacher picking the teams they can also allow for the students to be on teams with class mates of different ethnicities.
Jim Greci (Jimgreci)
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Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Monday, August 04, 2008 - 9:03 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

After trying many of the ways posted above, for the last year I have been creating the teams myself ahead of time and printing them out and posting them on my wipe off information board. Since I know the abilities of my students, I can make simple changes from unit to unit and this method doesn't use valuable class time.
Richard A. Campsie (Pe_rules)
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Username: Pe_rules

Post Number: 3
Registered: 9-2008
Posted on Monday, September 15, 2008 - 8:06 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Jim,

I used to, on occasion, put together a list with groups of students in a particular class. I would print it as a Word document and then post it to the wall before the start of class. Students knew exactly who their teammates were as soon as they looked at the list. It saved a lot of time and helped the class flow much more efficiently.
Joanne Milligan (Physed4401)
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Username: Physed4401

Post Number: 5
Registered: 9-2008
Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 8:04 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Some one thing I do, is pick teams and post them on the "wall of knowledge," so they know what team they are on throughout the unit. Another option is to create cards with symbols on them and pass them out to the children and then tell them to find everyone with the same symbol on their card. Hope some of these ideas help.
Katie Krouse (Krousek)
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Username: Krousek

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Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 8:05 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I think that it is important to mix up the way you choose teams in P.E class. This way they do not figure out how you are counting or addressing it every class because then they will just be with their best friends. The biggest thing is not making captains because there is always the people picked last or the one no one wants.
Seth Allison (Seth_allison)
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Posted on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 11:33 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Picking students in PE is an important aspect to teaching proper PE. It is important to appropriately assign students to teams. Otherwise students will band together and only play with their friends this could cause a problem with participation. In my experience it seems to work well to randomize your groups selections. For instance using a deck of cards to assign teams/groups.
Melissa Wolfe (Mwolfe23)
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Username: Mwolfe23

Post Number: 4
Registered: 9-2012
Posted on Monday, September 24, 2012 - 7:54 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

One of the first things we were taught in college was to never let students pick teams. Someone will always be picked last and we all know how that person will feel who was picked last. I never have let my students pick their own teams for this reason, however when I did my student teaching my co-op teacher had a good idea for allowing the students to pick teams without anyone getting their feelings hurt. He would choose the two captains, then have them privately come over and pick teams away from the rest of the class. He had a list of names which he would have the students use to make sure everyone was included and noone left out. Then they would go back to the group and announce teams. This was cool because students love to be a captain and pick teams, so this still allows them to have the thrill of picking teams, yet noone goes away with hurt feelings.
Howard Weiss (Weissice)
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Username: Weissice

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Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 - 5:00 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Melissa, its interesting that the last post before yours was April, 2009. Most of the previous posts give better ways to pick teams. Choosing captains, even if the teams are picked in secrecy is not a good idea. The kids find out. However, my fear is that we are actually still playing recreational games that require teams to play each other. This is not what physical education should be. We should be teaching life time skills and incorporating them into small sided games which require no making up of teams. Otherwise we should not call ourselves physical education teachers. We should call ourselves gym teachers.
Gerry Cernicky (Pingeyez2)
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Username: Pingeyez2

Post Number: 6
Registered: 2-2005
Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 - 5:42 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I totally agree with Howie, and the thought thta PE teachers are still validating these tendencies of picking teams is archaic. This is what has brought PE to its knees , and why (we) continually get a bad rap. The voting public would love to trash us, and this technique of picking teams is for GYM teachers as Howie said. Small-sided games are the best way to engage more participation. WE need to stop any outdated activity and get with it. When deciding th enext activity consider if a parent or lay teacher can do what you do. For example, they can pick teams, keep score, roll a ball and then pick up a paycheck- not a real PE teacher- one that understands the NEW philosophy and what standards must be met, along with life skills and attention to health -enhancing activities. HOWIE< when will they ever learn ?
Tommy Morgan (Tpm8887)
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Registered: 10-2012
Posted on Thursday, October 04, 2012 - 8:49 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I agree with Danielle Stanbro. I believe students should be chosen before the class by the teacher. That way the teacher can pick fair teams and have the students be separated equally that way if some students are better than others they can help each other out. Once the teacher figures out the teams he then can pretend during the class time to pick teams so it looks like he was doing them randomly instead of the students feeling like the teacher is creating the teams the way he/she wants them to be.
Howard Weiss (Weissice)
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Username: Weissice

Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2005
Posted on Friday, October 05, 2012 - 4:59 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I can only wonder what physical education students are learning in their prep courses in college and what they are learning from their cooperating teachers. Choosing teams is like believing that dinosaurs still exist. Please read Gerry's post from Sept. 25th.

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