Have you tried Grouper yet? Earlier this year, I featured Grouper on the blog as an excellent solution for forming student groups. As we’ve moved through the spring season into the final weeks of the school year, I’m back with exciting news. The team at Grouper has rolled out brand-new features designed to save teachers time and help students thrive in collaborative settings.
I’ve shared this smart grouping tool with educators on the blog, as well as webinars and workshops this year. If you’ve already explored Grouper, you’ll definitely want to revisit it and check out these new features. And if you haven’t given it a try yet, this is the perfect time to jump in!
Let’s take a look at what makes Grouper a powerful tool for classrooms—and the brand-new features that make it even more flexible and customizable for teachers.
Why Grouping Matters
Grouping is more than just putting students into pairs or teams. It’s a strategic practice that can help support academic growth, build classroom community, and give every student a chance to participate and get support from their peers. Whether you’re forming homogeneous groups based on skill level (or attribute) or mixing it up for a heterogeneous blend, the way you group students matters.
Creating groups with intention has many layers. Sometimes we want to make sure that a group includes a strong leader. Or we want to pair a student who needs extra support with a peer who helps them stay on track. That’s where tools like Grouper come in—and where their new updates really shine.
A Quick Recap on Grouper
If this tool is new to you, here’s a quick refresher. Grouper is a grouping tool built specifically for teachers. It helps you form student groups in a snap, taking into account key information you provide—like reading levels, behavior notes, or seating preferences. These blog posts from earlier this year provide even more background and videos to explore:
- How to Group Students Quickly and Strategically
- Differentiate with Data: Grouping Students with Intention
- 5 Student Grouping Strategies to Try with Grouper
There is even a connection to artificial intelligence— a hot topic on the blog and podcast, and one I’m often asked about. Grouper uses AI to help you upload class lists and set the attributes you want to use when forming groups. This means you can skip the sticky notes and spreadsheets and still create intentional groupings based on what your students need.
New Grouping Tools: First up, Roles
First up, let’s talk about Roles—a teacher-friendly update that takes student collaboration to the next level. When you form groups in Grouper, you can now assign specific roles to students. Think: Moderator, Timekeeper, Notetaker, and Reporter. These are some of the pre-configured options, but you can also create your own. Want a “Materials Manager” or “Encourager”? You might also call these classroom jobs. It’s up to you to add the customizations that are just right for your group.
You can preassign roles randomly, manually, or with a mix of both. Then, in Live mode, you can display the roles to students so they know exactly what they’re responsible for. One of my favorite parts? You can randomly reassign the roles with a single click and make sure every group has their bases covered.
This new feature provides the perfect way to make group work more purposeful. Everyone has a job to do, and the teacher stays in control of the structure. You can set this up to share with students on an interactive whiteboard or screen in your classroom as a live view. This way students can see their group in real-time, and you can even put a timer on the screen to help manage group work. The live view is a feature in the free plan that all users have access to.
New Grouping Tools: Next up, Study Buddies
Another brand-new feature worth celebrating is called Study Buddies. This is essentially the opposite of the “Do Not Group With” setting. Instead, it lets you choose students who should always be grouped together. This feature is fantastic for supporting students with specific needs by ensuring they’re placed with peers who help them feel successful. Just like the live view, Study Buddies is a free feature all users can access.
Let’s say you have a student who needs a specific type of support, and you’ve identified three students who consistently collaborate well with them. With Study Buddies, Grouper will always pair that student with one of their trusted partners. As much as I appreciate the “Do Not Group With” feature, this option is a small change with a big impact. It can help you build inclusive, supportive learning environments.
Smarter Grouping with AI Integration
I can’t help but share a bit more about Grouper’s AI-powered features. As I mentioned earlier, one of the things that makes this tool so useful is how it simplifies the setup process. You can upload your class list (either when you create an account or later on) and include important attributes like reading level, interests, or preferred roles. Then, Grouper uses that information to generate smart, purposeful groupings.
It’s as simple as taking a picture (or screenshot) of a list of information, you don’t have to worry about reformatting an Excel spreadsheet. I’ve modeled this live for groups of teachers and it’s worked perfectly every time I’ve demoed it.
With these new features layered in, the results are even more tailored to your classroom needs. Whether you’re grouping for a one-day project or a long-term collaboration, Grouper helps you create combinations that make sense for your classroom. It all happens in a visual, easy-to-use interface that makes the process feel manageable.
Why You’ll Want to Revisit Grouper Before the School Year Wraps Up
If your school year is still in session, now’s a great time to give Grouper a try. You might use it to mix up small groups, assign collaborative roles for an upcoming project, or pair students strategically for end-of-year activities.
Already on summer break? It’s also a great time to explore the platform and see how it could streamline your routines in the fall.
Grouping tools like Grouper can help support better experiences tailored for every student in your classroom. And with features like Roles and Study Buddies, Grouper gives you plenty of ways to differentiate and personalize your classroom strategies.
Ready to get started? Head over to Grouper’s website and explore what’s possible with this smart grouping tool built just for teachers. It’s free for teachers and you can jump in right away!
