Abstract

The initial idea for this design occurred in junior high school while choosing sides for football. The purpose then was not to have lopsided teams but competitive ones. The purpose of this latest and more complex design has been primarily to get diverse and multilevel classes of students to stop talking just to the teacher or perhaps only to a few others in class but instead to talk to any and all students during class activities. The design has been mostly developed incidentally within a student peer mentor program at a community college, and with beginner level ESL (English as a Second Language) students. The principles involved combine and draw loosely on Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence, Krashen’s affective filter hypothesis, and the American concept of equal opportunity. The design as implemented during class activities and over the span of a course is somewhat mathematically systematic, yet results in first name familiarity among the students and often a preference for learning within and benefiting from the selected groupings. Student retention and performance improve.