When most people think of summer they think of things like the beach,sun, travel and relaxation. Many students do not think about learning during their summer break, nor do they want to. However most schools require their students to complete summer projects to assure they continue learning over break. These summer projects should be student-designed because fellow students will be able to understand their peers struggles and interests, connect with a project that is designed for them, and learn more from topics and examples that interest them.

Fellow students have a much better understanding and knowledge to what students are interested in, as well as things they may struggle with. Their peers would be able to design a project that they know their friends will enjoy. A student-designed project will help prevent a student from not being able to complete the assignment. For example if a teacher where to assign an online web quest but didnt know that some students did not have access to the internet, a fellow peer would see that issue in their school and know to create a project to be submitted by paper. it is also well known that if something does not interest a student they probably would not want to complete it. A project created by a peer would help grab their attention, make connections, and get them excited to complete it.

Being able to connect with an assignment is very important for a students drive and interest in a project. If a student can connect to their assignment they will be more excited to complete it. A fellow student will be able to better connect a project to the current trends and interests. This will boost a students confidence and not make them dread doing work over the summer. A summer assignment should not feel like work; if a student connects to it and enjoys the topic then it will feel less like extra work that they have to do over their summer vacations'. When a student connects to a topic this will make them eager to learn more about the project.

When a topic interests some one they are more likely to want to learn more about it. If a student was to design a project that interests their peers it will help them learn more and get more take away from an assignment, which is the whole point of an summer project. Parents and teachers want their students to continue to learn over the summer, so when a student has an assignment that they actually want to do they are more likely to benefit and learn from it even with out noticing that they are learning.

Students obviously dont want to have to do work over the summer. So summer assignments need to be fun hands on and include topics that students enjoy and connect to. This will help students be engaged and continue their education while school in not in session; which is exactly what parents and teachers want! Students will benefit greatly from a student-designed project because their peers are able to understand what they enjoy, connect with their topics, and learn more from a project that interests them.