Use it to call on students, choose a reader, pick a presenter or find a volunteer. It works on a projector, a smartboard, a laptop or a phone.
What is a random student picker?
A random student picker is a tool that chooses one student from a list without any human bias. You enter the names, the wheel spins, and whichever name it stops on gets the turn. Every name has the same chance on every spin.
Teachers use it because it's hard to be fair from memory. Most of us call on the same eager hands without noticing. A wheel doesn't have a favorite row.
How to use the random student picker
- Add your students. Type or paste your class list, one name per line. First names or numbers both work.
- Ask your question first. Say it out loud before you spin. Students listen better when they might be chosen.
- Spin the wheel. Click the wheel or the spin button and let it slow down.
- Give think time. Pause a few seconds after the name appears, then let the student answer.
- Keep or remove the name. Remove it if you want no repeats until everyone has gone. Keep it if any student can be picked again.
When every name has had a turn, reset the wheel and start a new round.
Keep or remove: which should you pick?
If you keep names on the wheel, the same student can come up twice in a row. That's genuinely random, but it can feel unfair in a class of 25.
If you remove names after each pick, everyone gets a turn before anyone gets a second one. Most teachers choose this for cold calling and turn-taking. Keep names on for games and quick warm-ups where repeats are fine.
Why call on students at random?
Volunteers tend to be the same few students. A random picker spreads the turns around, including to quieter students who rarely raise a hand.
There's some research behind this. A study of cold calling by Dallimore and colleagues found that in classes where instructors called on students regularly, voluntary participation went up as the semester went on. A teaching tip from the University of Washington adds that random calling can reduce gender bias, since women are less likely to volunteer on their own.
It works best when students know it's coming. Tell them at the start of term that you'll use the wheel, and they'll prepare more and worry less.
Ways to use it in class
- Cold calling. Pick who answers the next question.
- Reading aloud. Choose who reads the next paragraph.
- Presentations. Draw the speaking order without arguments.
- Classroom jobs. Pick the line leader, supplies helper or board cleaner.
- Volunteers. Choose who demonstrates a problem at the board.
- Review games. Pick which student or team answers next.
- Rewards. Choose who gets the end-of-class prize or the special seat.
- Online classes. Share your screen and spin when body language is hard to read.
Tips for using it well
- Let students pass once. A "phone a friend" or "pass" option keeps the wheel from feeling like a trap.
- Match the question to the student. Start with easy recall questions until students get used to it.
- Keep it on screen. Seeing the spin is what makes it feel fair.
- Spin before you read the room. Don't skip a name because you think a student can't answer. That defeats the point.
- Use numbers if names are sensitive. Give each student a number for the year and put the numbers on the wheel.
- Reset on a schedule. Refill the wheel at the start of each week or unit so rounds stay fresh.