A group project. Having one is inevitable, but is it really the best way to be testing students on their knowledge?

In groups, students have the opinions of their peers, but the ideas can clash and cause an argument. Teamwork can cause an unnecessary amount of stress on some of the participants due to having to compensate for anther individual.

Poor communication is also a problem – which can cause a portion of the project to not be fully completed. This can also be caused by the absence of a leader – who can delegate an equal part of the work to every one of the participants. If you are working alone, you are responsible for you and only you, which in a way takes a lot of the stress off of you. You only have to worry about yourself and if something isn’t completed, you have only yourself to blame.

“Individual commitment to a group effort: That is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” — Vince Lombardi

That is exactly the point –  in order for a team to work, all individuals must commit completely. If this isn’t the case, then the team will most likely fail horribly.

Although “two heads are better than one” group projects, teamwork or whatever you want to call it, doesn’t allow students to be held accountable for their own work. Even though group projects give students a chance to interact outside of school, they just aren’t very practical.