BY SAVANNAH KEYSER AND SOPHIA WENGIER
SAVANNAH:
Some people may work miraculously in groups, however some people might agree that three really is a crowd when talking about group work. Despite the fact that group projects are a great way to collaborate with classmates and they allow for allocation of the work, they aren’t always the best option when doing a project. Quite often, there can be issues with people holding up their end of the project, agreeing upon how to execute the project properly, and not having time to get together outside of school to work on it.
One of the most common issues with group projects is that of balance, or lack thereof, in the amount of work each group member contributes to the final product. Occasionally, some people in a group may take advantage of hard-workers and won’t do their share of the work. This can be problematic because teachers often grade the group as a whole, and those who did hold up their end of the project get a lower grade because of the few students who didn’t help.
“I like group projects in the classroom,” Chemistry teacher Mark Sturdivant said. “I have yet to find a good system for assigning group projects at home because of the very reason that I am not sure if all the students are actually doing the working that they are supposed to.”
On the other hand, the person who did not contribute at all could end up getting a better grade than they actually deserve. If a teacher assigns a project that must be done in groups, they should make sure that each student gets the grade they deserve, whether it be good or bad, and that not everyone in the same group deserves the same grade.
“When you get paired up with somebody who knows that you’re smart, they expect you to do all the work,” Junior Nurfatihah Melendez said. “They make up excuses about why they can’t do the work and you always end up doing everything yourself.”
Group projects are also a source of conflict as some members frequently argue about the way in which the project will be completed. It is hard to work in groups if there are two people who feel that their idea is best. A lot of the time will be lost due to arguments over who should be the group leader and whose idea should be put in place to carry out the assignment. This can lead to a delay in the productivity and can inhibit the final execution of the assignment. There are also teachers who assign group projects and have already chosen who the groups will consist of instead of letting the students choose who they would prefer to work with. This can lead to issues between students if they have previous conflicts or if they don’t feel comfortable working with people who they don’t know and trust.
“When teachers don’t let us choose who to work with we always end up with people who we don’t know,” Junior Kaytie de la Vega said. “I’m forced to work with people who make me really uncomfortable and I wish I could just work by myself because I end up doing all the work anyway.”
Scheduling time outside of school is also a concern of students who are assigned to work in groups. Students have very busy schedules that include working, school, homework, extracurriculars, sports, and much more. It is very hard for a group of students to align their hectic schedules to have time to work on a group project.
“I have no time outside of school to get together to do group projects,” de la Vega said. “There is also the issue of transportation for me to get to their house.”
Teachers will often assign mandatory groups but won’t give much time in class to work on these assignments because they can’t afford to give up instructive time. This puts the students in a situation that could cost them their grade because they weren’t able to meet enough times after school to really perfect their final project. Trying to coordinate times to work on the project out of school is hard at times considering many students have busy schedules and aren’t always able to get out of other commitments.
Group projects may be a great way for students to share their knowledge and bounce ideas off each other, but that does not mean it should be mandatory for all students to work with a group. If teachers are going to assign a project, they should give the option of completing in in groups or working individually to accommodate the interests of each student. If there is an option of working alone, the students who work better by themselves will not feel pressure to work in a group and won’t have to deal with all of the issues that come with working with other people.
SOPHIA:
Are two heads better than one? This is a question that is highly disagreed upon on campus. Whether it is from distrust in one’s classmates or just an unfamiliarity in working with others, it is quite common for the words “group project” to be a source of fear or annoyance for a student. Many who are driven by competition can feel as if they are running a race against one’s peers in academics which can formulate an attachment to working as an individual and can even create a norm of relying only on oneself to succeed. Nevertheless, group projects are a necessary part of any education as they provide a real-world experience of having to work with others and are a valuable form of learning that can often create a better outcome than individual work.
“Group projects give us a chance to work with our peers,” junior Sarah Sullivan said. “Working individually is nice but working in a group gives us a chance to experience what it’s going to be like in the future when we have to work with others.”
Group projects allow for the combining and sharing of ideas resulting in an increase in overall creativity. It is an uncomplicated premise: putting our heads together can help us perform better than if we were working in isolation. Ideas breed ideas and creativity breeds more creativity so it would make sense that by putting together two brains filled with different amounts of knowledge and experiences, the end result will come out better.
“School group projects are a fun way of interacting and allowing yourself to be open to new ideas,” Sophomore Juseliz Lefebre said.
Group projects also provide high school students with the experience they need in working with others, even if they prefer being alone. High school is designed to prepare students for real-world situations that they will come across in their lives. Seeing as it’s highly unlikely that an individual will be able to go through their life without having to work on a team, it makes sense that they should get used to it early on when their brain is still developing. This is the reason that even if one doesn’t like group projects because of the people they have to work with, they are still beneficial due to the experience they can give with working with difficult people.
There is variety in everybody’s strengths and weaknesses. Working with others can allow each person to focus on what they’re best at or even learn what they’re worst at.
“I definitely learn better from peer learning,” junior Bryanna Welsh said. “My classmates are able to explain concepts to me in a way that is on my level and with terms that I can understand and relate to.”
Putting together one student that is an expert on one subject and another who is an expert on a different subject allows both to benefit and learn in a new way than from a lecture from a teacher. A teacher might not be able to target specific needs of specific people, however, in a smaller group these needs come to light and are able to be targeted.
Overall, group projects are necessary for one’s high school experience as they put one in a real life context and provide valuable learning that can help students prosper and improve.
