How to Coax More Thinking From Your Next Group Project

Feeling underwhelmed by low engagement during group projects? Here are two practical strategies to boost student autonomy (and thinking!) during your next project.

You plan out EVERY detail of the group project.  Is there any room left for students to make it “theirs”?

My Project Idea Should Work…It Just Doesn’t

While sipping coffee one Sunday morning, I’m struck with a bolt of inspiration: a creative and original idea for a group project.  Buzzing with energy, I spend the next few hours laying out the plan for the week.  

I want this to go well, so I carefully design tasks, create detailed instructions, and even prepare a sample project to inspire students. 

Bring on Monday!

Once the project starts, however, I can’t help but notice a distinct lack of student engagement.  Instead of energetic collaboration, I notice:

– Students constantly checking the clock

– Minimal creative energy

– Surface-level work completion (or is “compliance” the right word?)

– A rush to finish with little or no thinking 

– Uninspired group submissions that are, frankly, a drag to grade

So What’s Missing From This Project? Student Autonomy.

One of my favorite quotes about education comes from Confucius who once said, “Learning without thinking is useless.”  

Unfortunately, in my experience, Confucius could be accurately describing 21st-century education.

Recent studies show that while students appear to be busy in class, they engage in very little critical thinking. A 2023 EdSurge report reveals that most learning activities focus on task completion rather than actual thinking and learning. 

I will now share with you what took me years to realize.

Many of my group projects fell short because I failed to give students ownership of the process.  In the interest of efficiency and order, I controlled every step of the learning experience.

The result?  Students who are more focused on correctly completing tasks (my tasks) than thinking about the material.  

Too much teacher control leads to a paint-by-numbers experience that emphasizes following directions and work completion over creativity or reflection. 

How do we solve this?  Here are two ideas.

Two Strategies For More Student Autonomy During a Project

Strategy #1. Let students plan out how they’ll complete a project with a Pre-Project Planning Sheet.

What it does: Encourages executive function skills and ownership of the learning process.

When you dictate every detail of the process, students become passive participants. Instead, provide a framework for students to create their own project completion roadmap. This develops executive function skills like time management and problem-solving and makes the project more “theirs”.

Tips for Implementing a Pre-Project Plan:

• Set Clear Expectations: A project can’t be a “free for all,” so you will create the learning objectives, minimum project requirements, and deadlines.

• Be Flexible; Avoid Micromanaging: Does it matter what order the steps of a project are completed?  If not, let the students create the order.  Another idea: Let the students divvy up the tasks in a way that makes sense to them.

• Use Tools: Use a Project Planning Sheet to support your students as they organize their tasks.

Strategy #2. Include a Post-Project Reflection

What it does: Helps students think about their learning as well as the collaboration process.

Reflection is a powerful tool for learning, yet it’s often skipped. It’s important to help students understand themselves as learners before asking that they assume more responsibility for the learning.  

A structured self-assessment encourages students to evaluate their group dynamics and learning outcomes.  Bonus: Student reflection gives you valuable insight for future projects. 

Questions for a Post-Project Reflection:

Collaboration Questions:

• • What worked well during the project?
  • How well did the group work together?  What could be better?
  • What challenges arose, and how were they addressed by the group?

Learning Questions:

• • How has your understanding of the topic evolved?
  • What would have improved your learning experience?
  • What content-related questions arose as a result of the work?  What concepts are you still unclear about?

Extension: Facilitate a class discussion to share reflections and identify common themes.

Brad has taught history at the middle and high school levels for 19 years, almost exclusively in American public schools.  He has a master’s in educational technology and is passionate about elevating the status of professional educators.