SEATING CHART SHORT-CUT

Over the years I've spent tons of time making seating charts.  I believing in changing seats very frequently and rotating students around the section so no one is ever always in the back.  Every 2 weeks I make brand new charts for each of my classes.  As my program has grown, making new charts is taking more and more time.  I still want to frequently change seating, but I need it to be easier and faster.

So.......

I just created a color coded seating chart for each class.  I colored seats in each section a different color, then numbered the seats.

To easily change the seating, I created an Excel spreadsheet with the names of the students in each section.

I then created a formula to randomly assign a number to each student.  =RAND()

I then sort the sheet by columns - and instantly have a randomized seating.  Students just have to look at the chart and sit in the seat that corresponds to their number.

It's super fast and easy to create a new order...just drag the formula column downwards and it will replace all the numbers.  Instead of re-writing seating charts, I can use excel to get a new order instantly.  I project the list on my screen and students quickly find their new seats.  I might just change seating more often!