Group Maker for Teachers — Free Student Team Generator

Creating student groups manually is one of those classroom tasks that takes far longer than it should. Teachers weigh personalities, academic levels, friendships, and behaviour considerations — all while trying to keep the process fair and transparent. JuicyTools' free Group Maker removes the cognitive load of the initial generation while keeping the teacher fully in control. One click produces randomised groups from your class list, and drag-and-drop adjustment lets you fix any combinations that won't work — without starting over.

Save your class list once and generate fresh groups any time across the school year. Exclude absent students before generating so all groups stay the same size. Display the results on the projector so students can see their assignments clearly and move to their tables without confusion or negotiation. For teachers who move between multiple classes, save separate lists for each group.

Key Features

• Random group generation from saved class lists
• Choose group sizes or number of groups before generating
• Exclude absent students with a single click
• Drag-and-drop adjustment — move individual students between groups without regenerating
• Full-screen display for projecting group assignments to the class
• Save multiple class lists for different subjects or periods
• Export group lists for teacher reference

How Teachers Use the Group Maker

The most important design decision in the Group Maker is the drag-and-drop adjustment after generation. Teachers rarely want to accept the first random output entirely — there are always a couple of combinations that the algorithm cannot know are problematic. Dragging one student from a group to another takes two seconds, and the rest of the groups remain intact. This means the randomisation handles 95% of the work while the teacher retains full control over the final 5%.

For project-based learning, where students will work together for days or weeks, teachers generate groups in advance and review them privately before displaying to the class. They check for balance (making sure each group has a mix of strengths), compatibility (avoiding known conflicts), and equity (ensuring students who need support are distributed across groups rather than concentrated in one).

PE teachers use the Group Maker for quick team selection at the start of practical classes. Instead of the awkward captains-picking system — which always disadvantages less athletic students — the teacher generates random, equal-sized teams and displays them immediately. The process takes under 30 seconds, leaves no room for hurt feelings from being picked last, and gets students active faster.

Secondary teachers with multiple class periods save separate lists for each period. When running the same group activity across five classes in a day, the teacher can switch between class lists with a single click, generate fresh groups for each, and move on without any admin overhead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Group Maker free?

Yes. The group maker is free. A JuicyTools subscription unlocks unlimited saved class lists and access to all other tools, but the core group generation feature works without payment.

Can I stop certain students from being put together?

The generator is fully random within the constraints you set. After generating, drag and drop to move any students whose combination needs changing. The rest of the groups update automatically to stay balanced.

What happens if students are absent?

Before generating, tick any absent students to exclude them from the pool. The generator then works only with the students present, keeping group sizes balanced for the actual students in the room.

Can I save different class lists?

Yes. Subscribers can save multiple class lists under different names — for example, "Period 1 Maths" and "Period 3 English" — and switch between them instantly. This is particularly useful for secondary teachers who teach multiple classes.