Keep reading to learn how to help students navigate group projects with ease.
TL;DR: While collaborative assignments are not every student’s favorite school assignment, with these tips, students can manage their group project with ease, ensure all members of the group participate evenly, and get the best mark possible.
- Assign a group leader
- Evenly divide the work
- Stay in contact
- Follow up often
- Present with ease
Your Child Has a Group Project: Where Should They Begin?
Step-by-step breakdown for students:
Like many school assignments, getting started is often the most challenging part of working in a group. This is even more true if students have not worked on a project with other students before. With the following tips, students can avoid the most common group project problems, determine the parameters of the group project, and get a better understanding of the steps for completion:
- Assign a project leader: choose someone in the group to help coordinate everyone else and assign roles.
- Contact details (phone numbers and email addresses for all team members).
- Assigning tasks: each group member should be responsible for a particular part of the project and understand their role.
- Meeting schedule (how often team members will get together to work on the project, when and where they’ll meet).
- Set timelines to keep the project moving along.
- All students in the group project should understand their role and the overall objective.
How Are Tasks Divided in a Group Project?
How to divide tasks in a collaborative assignment step by step (with examples)
Collaboration is key! Students must work together to determine what needs to be done and how to divide the work.
- Decide the overall task and scope. If needed, students should collaborate and select a topic.
- Once everyone agrees on all the tasks that need to be accomplished, assign responsibilities.
- Discuss what tasks each person is interested in, and what skills/talents/resources they bring to the project.
- Divide administrative tasks that no one wants to do among several team members. If someone wants to try something new, partner that person with someone else who has experience. This allows people to develop abilities in the group while still creating a successful project.
- Set a timeline: Work backward from the final deadline and assign deadlines to each team member for completing each task.
- Communicate throughout: create a group chat over email or an app to stay connected, ask questions and remind group members of timelines.
Once everyone understands their role and the work involved, it’s easy to see how their individual contributions will lead to the final product.
Is the Group Project Complete?
How to know when the group project is ready
Bringing the individual elements of the project together into a completed work is the next step. The group leader will:
- Contact all members to collect their contributions and bring all elements together.
- The completed project is then shared with all group members for review and editing as needed.
- If presenting the group project in front of the class, the group should gather again to practice the presentation and determine who is saying what.
Once all group members are satisfied with the final product, the group project is ready for the next step.
Presenting the Group Project
Group projects usually involve a presentation element. Public speaking can be daunting for many students, so knowing who is most comfortable presenting is key. Here’s how to divide and conquer when presenting a group project:
- The group leader presents the group project topic and introduces everyone in the group
- Each person presents the key points from their section.
- The group leader presents the project conclusion and asks the class if there are any questions.
- Bonus tip: Use visuals to help make your points! It makes the presentation more dynamic.
Check out these 9 ways to improve presentation skills.
Help For Group Projects & Assignments
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