Group projects are staples across all of Parker’s classes. From presentations to mock trials, these projects can be a relief from the standard essays and Google Slides presentations. However, they have their negatives as well, especially when it comes to group grades.
There are many projects that are too big or too much work to be done by just one person, which can lead to more creative and original group projects. Group projects are the most realistic to life and jobs after school. A presentation can be much more in-depth as a group project as opposed to work by one person. They also allow more choice when it comes to certain aspects of a project. Group projects often allow for some choice as to what aspects of a project each group member takes on. .
A major downside of group grades is a lack of equal effort by group members. All students value projects and classes differently. If someone really has to do well on a certain project and someone else doesn’t, the effort put in will be vastly different. This leads to what may be the biggest problem with group projects, group grades. There are some cases where there is a group project with a group grade, but there are also group projects without group grades. These seem more fair and are better than traditional group grades, but in a group project, all group members are dependent on each other.
If you are making a slideshow presentation, but your partner hasn’t finished their slides, you won’t be able to do well on your presentation. If your partner does a bad job on their presentation and they don’t get their point across, and your point reinforces theirs, your grade is also going to suffer, though not as much as it might suffer if it were a complete group grade.
Group projects are also more aligned with what happens in college and later on in life. It is a crucial skill in life to be able to work as a group and communicate effectively. In almost any team or group setting, there will be people who do less work and those who do more work. This is something that has to be learned early in life.
Another positive about group projects is that there are so many different types of group projects. You can do a debate as a full team, you could do a trial, and you could do a presentation. They can be much more in-depth because there are a lot of people working, so it’s an equal amount of work as opposed to just an individual project. When they come together, they’re more original and creative.
A couple of weeks ago, I had an English final debate in a group. Having the group aspect allowed us to make three different substantive arguments. We were able to go in depth for all of them, which would be a lot harder for an individual project.
Overall, group projects bring a lot of benefits. Original ideas have the ability to make more choices, but they also have a lot of downsides, such as reliance on a partner and group grades. It really depends on the project and the teacher for the success of the group project. In the end, group projects allow for more creativity and more options that can make them a lot more exciting.
