Alex Coleman @Its_GalPalAl [Executive Web Editor]

Everyone understands that feeling of complete dread that rushes through their body when the teacher mentions the two most terrifying words in every students vocabulary. Group Projects. Lord knows that there is always going to be that one kid who gets stuck in the group of people who don’t want to try, and there’s always going to be that gaggle of the smart kids who are going to go above and beyond all project expectations. How can we avoid this? Maybe, teachers should reconsider the method to this madness.

As much as we’d all love for these group projects to disappear entirely, there is some good in these terrible creations. Although it isn’t exactly the most fun method of learning, working in groups does teach you how to adapt to your circumstances to produce a semi okay product. This is a skill that is good later on in life, and so we must endure their torture. However, the work itself is not the problem, but the way that the split of groups is handled.

If the teacher picks the people to go with other people, it’s almost guaranteed that the group of smart kids will be put together. This is fine and good really, unless the student isn’t one of the smart kids. This could be avoided if teachers would just let the students pick their own groups, and make any necessary adjustments. People work better with people they’re comfortable around, and teachers should just let that happen