In every school environment, students will face different types of projects. The two most common types are solo and group projects. Many teachers assign both types because as an adult, students may have to participate in both types.
Students tend to like solo projects more. They like being able to move at their own pace and not rush for others. They also like solo projects because many have the fear that the other people will not do their part. Despite there being pros, there are also cons. One con of solo projects is that there may be a limited perspective. With just a single person’s point of view, the information could be biased or fake. Another con is isolation. Many students thrive off of social interaction and not being able to have that can cause their effort and confidence to go down, resulting in insufficient or bad work.
Group projects involve more than two people all working on a project together. One reason students like group projects is because they get to hear different opinions from people. Having several different opinions can make for great arguments and more opportunities to learn. Another reason people like group projects is because of the shared work aspect. If the project requires a slideshow and poster, that would be very difficult to do by oneself depending on the size of the project. Another pro of group projects is the social interaction aspect. Everyone thrives off of social interaction and many teachers think that incorporating social interaction can raise a student’s moral and effort. There are some cons of group projects as well. One of them being that people can slack off. If it is a slideshow presentation and everyone has their slides done besides one person, that can bring down the final grade of the project. This can cause arguments between students and teachers alike. Another con can be arguments. It is good to have several different opinions on a topic but if two head-strong people do not agree, that could lead to big arguments and maybe physical altercations.
Despite the pros and cons of each, both are highly beneficial to students. Group projects can help their social abilities heighten, their teamwork skills improve, and it also teaches them that it is ok to rely on others. Solo projects can make a student more independent, it can improve their effort, and it can teach them responsibility.
