By John Cody Treadaway, Opinions Editor
Every student at one point or another has done a class project with a group, and every student has either loved them or hated them. Personally, I have enjoyed the group projects I have done at Reynolds much more than the ones from middle school.
For one thing, group projects are awesome because they are done in class more often than not, so you do not have to worry about it outside of class. Or, if you do have to do something outside of class, it’s usually a simple supply run to AC Moore.
Another great thing about group projects is that you as an individual get to do less work and the project still gets done. For example, last quarter I had to do a group project on bipolar disorder for my Advanced Placement Psychology class. All I had to do for my part was type the reference page and act like an individual with bipolar disorder during the group presentation. Since my group members all did their individual parts, we got the project done on time with each of us doing less work individually in comparison to the amount of work we would have done if the project wasn’t a group assignment.
Another reason group projects are amazing is the fact they’re another way to get to know people in some of your classes, especially if the groups are randomly selected. If they are randomly selected, you get to know new people. If you pick your groups, you already know everyone’s strengths and you can get the work done even faster.
Group projects that include acting can also be very entertaining. Nothing brightens up a school day like a group of students you know acting like a bunch of 8-year-olds in order to get an A, and, oddly enough, it is sometimes enjoyable to be one of those childish actors striving for an A.
I have found that getting an A is actually easy for group projects that have acting parts in them, as long as you make your teacher laugh at some point during your presentation.
Group projects with a presentation aspect are also outstanding because instead of an individual project being presented by you and only you, there are people with you at the front of the class. So, if you have a little stage fright, group projects can be helpful if other group members fill awkward voids in the presentation.
Overall, as long as you have decent people in a group for a project, it’s not all that bad. In fact, it actually makes things easier on each individual in pretty much every aspect of the project.