Beyond ‘Find a Partner’: Inclusive Grouping Strategies in Physical Education

Grouping students is something we do in almost every Physical Education lesson. It is an inherent characteristic of our subject, whether pairing to practice an isolated skill, forming teams for a game, or collaborating in a problem-solving task. Yet, for some students, this is a high-stress moment. The words “find a partner” or “make a group of three” can appear harmless, but for many, they may trigger anxiety, uncertainty and/or embarrassment. 

A Personal Reminder

Recently, I attended a class at my local gym. After explaining the program, the instructor asked us all to find a partner. Within a few seconds, people turned to their friends, paired up and moved away. I looked around, but nobody met my eye. 

The instructor asks, “Has anybody not got a partner?” I raised my hand and proactively suggested making a group of three, but I was met with silence and awkward smiles. I am an adult with social experience and perspective, but even this experience was confronting for me. It made me think about my students and how they must feel when similar scenarios play out in my lessons. 

Captains Pick: Have We Really Moved On?

[ChatGPT generated image of “male students lined up waiting to be selected in a Physical Education lesson”]

Most Physical Education teachers will remember the famous scene from Kes, where Mr Sugden lines up the boys, appoints himself and another student as ‘captains’, and together they choose players one by one until there is only one student left. 

If you’re as old as me, you may have even experienced a version of this during your own student days. Thankfully, the ‘captains pick’ method has been archived in the history books and is universally recognised as poor practice in modern teaching. 

However, have we really replaced it with something more inclusive? “Find a partner” or “get into groups of four” does little to reduce these same social risks. Fans of the TV show ‘Squid Games’ might even recognise this exact process as one of the terrifying games that contestants have to play in the most recent series.

Why Grouping Matters

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, belonging is a basic human requirement. In Physical Education, the way we group students does far more than organise them for learning. It communicates acceptance, status and value. Grouping is a social signal. It tells students whether they are welcomed, overlooked or placed on the margins. 

Research by Wilkinson and Penney (2022) shows that grouping practices communicate value and status to students, shaping their emotional and social identity in Physical Education.. Feelings of exclusion can lead to disengagement, embarrassment and long-term avoidance of physical activity. When students feel unwanted, they withdraw to protect themselves. 

This matters even more in Physical Education than in many other subjects. Physical Education is a highly public environment where ability, difference and performance are especially visible. These visibility pressures amplify feelings of scrutiny and can make students acutely aware of where they stand socially and physically within a group (Wilkinson and Penney, 2022). 

Ultimately, grouping matters because it is never just administrative. It shapes how students feel about themselves, about Physical Education and about the people they are learning alongside. In a subject where performance is visible and social comparison is constant, the emotional impact of grouping cannot be underestimated.

Common Grouping Strategies (and Their Potential Challenges)

Grouping Strategy	Risk or Impact
“Find a partner”	Students left alone, awkwardness, social hierarchies reinforced
Friendship groups	Popularity-based exclusion, same students always left out
Ability grouping	Labels students, fixed mindset (Dweck, 2006), reduces confidence
Captains picking teams	Public rejection, humiliation, damage to relationships
Teacher-chosen static teams	Can be fair, but lacks autonomy or flexibility

Alternative Solutions 

During a recent staff training session, we explored alternative grouping strategies that make Physical Education more inclusive and reduce anxiety. These strategies are simple, practical and can be embedded into everyday practice. 

1. Randomised Grouping Tools

[Apple App Store Images of App icons of Classroom Teammate by iDoceo and Team Shake]

Using digital tools can remove social bias and create fairness.

• Teammates by iDoceo: import your class lists and create balanced teams based on various factors including; ability, gender, compatibility, and behaviour.
  
• TeamShake: a very similar alternative app to iDoceo. Albeit (in my opinion) not quite as user-friendly or visually aesthetic.

These EdTech tools reduce pressure, save time and prevent students from being left out. 

2. Arrival and Warm-Up Grouping Activities

[Photo of Uno cards being used to create random groups in a Physical Education lesson]

Arrival activities allow the grouping to be gamified and reduce social anxiety.

• Tag and Swap: Students swap bibs when tagged and group by bib colour.
  
• High-Five Hunt: Find people with the same (or different) shoe colour, birth month, favourite sport, etc. – a great one for helping students get to know each other.
  
• Equipment Match: Students pick objects (cones, hoops, beanbags) and group with others who have equipment of matching colours or create a pattern specified by the teacher.
  
• Uno Cards: Uno cards are picked up on arrival to the lesson (the pack will need to be organised beforehand). The teacher then instructs the class to form groups based on the number, colour, or symbol on each card.

These activities reflect research suggesting that temporary and flexible within-class groups can reduce labelling and stigma (Francis et al., 2020).

3. Structured Choice Groupings

[Chat GPT generated “infographic of Structured Choice grouping strategies”]

Giving students structured autonomy over their lessons increases motivation and engagement (Ryan and Deci, 2000). Two structured choice strategies I like to use are:

• Fun or Competitive Groups: Students choose whether they want a fun-focused or competitive experience. The activities can then be tailored to match their motivation.
  
• Ready to Teach / Need a Buddy: Students position themselves based on their confidence in the lesson focus. This strategy also provides the teacher with an overview of the class’ understanding of the topic so that they can adjust the lesson and unit accordingly.
  

4. Team Drafts and Transfers: Celebrating Character

[ChatGPT generated “Shrewsbury Riverside Team Draft logo”]

This strategy celebrates values and character strengths, not just ability. 

• Pre-counted team bibs or bands are handed out to create random teams. I usually do this in a ‘Harry Potter sorting hat’ style where each student picks a bib or band at random from a container. It adds a bit of excitement to the process and facilitates students to work with different classmates.
  
• Transfer Window: At the end of a game, each team selects an opposing player who showed the Character Strength in focus (ie. teamwork, leadership, resilience…). This player is then available to be redrafted (again at random). I usually dictate that students cannot be selected twice.
  

Final Thought

Grouping students is not just a logistical task. It is an emotional moment. It is the difference between feeling seen or overlooked, confident or anxious, included or excluded. Inclusion is not accidental. It is planned and purposeful.

Take a moment to think about your last lesson. What message did your grouping strategy convey, and how did your students feel because of it? Were there pupils who seemed relieved to be chosen quickly, or others who quietly stepped back, waiting for the moment to pass? Our routines speak volumes about our values. Every time we ask students to form a group, we are telling them something about how we see them and what kind of community our Physical Education environment truly is.

When I began experimenting with more intentional grouping, I immediately noticed small changes. Students who used to linger on the edges began stepping forward more confidently. Those who often relied on friendship groups began working with new peers, learning to communicate and collaborate in different ways. I noticed a shift in atmosphere: laughter replaced silence, eye contact replaced hesitation, and even the most reluctant learners started to re-engage. The sense of belonging increased not because I changed what we did, but how we started doing it.

The knock-on effects extended beyond the lesson. Behaviour incidents decreased, teamwork improved, and peer encouragement became more visible. Grouping became a tool for inclusion rather than a trigger for anxiety. The classroom culture began to reflect the message that everyone matters here.

Key Take-Aways

• Plan grouping as part of learning design, not an afterthought.
  
• Use inclusive digital tools or playful arrival activities to reduce anxiety.
  
• Observe body language to spot students who may feel uncomfortable.
  
• Rotate groupings regularly to diversify peer interactions.
  
• Reflect on grouping choices and whether they promote belonging.

Ultimately, effective grouping is about creating an environment where every pupil feels secure enough to participate fully. When we approach grouping with empathy and purpose, we move beyond logistics to something far more powerful: belonging, connection and joy in movement.

About the author

David Wallace is a PE teacher and curriculum contributor with over a decade of experience teaching students aged 2 to 16 across international schools in Asia. He is currently Teacher of Junior School PE and Head of Badminton at Shrewsbury International School Bangkok, having previously served as Head of Prep PE at Kellett School, Hong Kong.