Clock Buddies

Today, in a professional development session at Loch Raven High School I found out about Clock Buddies. It's a grouping strategy devised specifically to vary partners based on different factors. Students are given a piece of paper showing a clock with lines extending from the numbers to record names. If Joey writes his name on Jackie's 9 o'clock, then Jackie will write her name on Joey's 9 o'clock. Here is a visual:

Each student has his or her own clock, with up to twelve partners, which allows teachers to create homogenous groups, heterogeneous groups, and even allow students to choose their own partner. The teacher should make sure to be consistent with every student's clock, so that when he/she wants to create homogenous groupings, for example, all he/she has to do is call out what groupings are to meet. This would sound like, "Complete the activity with your three o'clock partners." I think this is an interesting grouping strategy, and see many merits to this kind of organization. For example, set, consistent groupings are always available for activities. 

Image from: http://www.readingquest.org/strat/clock_buddies.html