Summer Projects

Student-designed projects over the summer? What do you think about it? Summer assignments are usually given to students to work on during their summer break. Due to past references and experiences, teachers had always assigned students sufficient amount of work during breaks. The question given is should the summer projects be teacher- designed or student designed? Student-designed projects are done with the best interest of a student's perception. Although, summer projects should be provided or given by teachers because they prepare us for the upcoming year, students won't have to stress on choosing a topic, and it helps the students reflect.

Teachers are well aware of the upcoming materials that are required for a student to learn or perceive before they graduate. It is better if a teacher provides the project because it is done to prepare us for the next material. When given an assignment over the summer, students tend to work at the last minute before school begins. However, students are also learning material that they will be taking in the upcoming year. After doing the summer assignment, they are well aware of how much of a workload the teacher provides and what the expectations are for this class. If students are not comfortable with the topic, this gives them a sign that they need to switch or take a different class. It will also tell them ahead of time if they are uninterested in the material. This differs in some cases. For example, the subject mathematics. There are different types and topics of mathematics. If the student receives an assignment in the class, that work will assure the student if they are capable of learning and doing the material. If not then they should, in the best of their interest, convert to a different class. For reading or the English subject, teachers usually assign a novel for the students to read and analyze. The level of reading is what differs within each class. If the student thinks that the level of reading is out of their best ability, then they options that have a lower level or a level in which they can understand the topic. There are various options for students to take to fit their capability and that can be determined by what is provided by the teacher.

Teacher-designed assignment indicates that it is done by the teacher's best ability. This proves that the students would not have to spend their summer trying to think of a concept to write or think about. When they are given by the teacher, the students would just have to continue to work on the topic given by the teacher. As we all are notified of, teacher and students want to have a break from school and enjoy their summer. With that said, students would just have to complete the assignment handed by the teacher and submit in the beginning of the year. Students having to think of the topic and do the assignment may be too much of a workload and have the student be uninterested in it. Although teachers can assign work and let the student work and get creative. Creativity is what interests a lot of students. Working to show off or impress is what teachers like the most because they are able to get to know more about the student and see how some students can improve. They can also have that stress-relief coming into the new school year knowing that they will learn some of the materials in the summer assignment.

Lastly, teacher-designed assignments can allow students to reflect on the things they have learned. Some materials learned may appear again in their new year of schooling. Having teachers make the assignments can allow students to not diminish the material learned, over the summer. It is proven by many researchers that there is a higher rate in which students forget more than half of the material they interpreted during their school year on their summer vacation. This is caused by students not doing any sort of work during their vacation. When students do their assignment they will have a better chance of retracing the topics they have forgotten and revisit them. Once students touch up on the topics they forgot, they have a better chance of moving on to the new material than having to both and fall behind.

In reality, it is better when teachers designs the assignment because then they will be working on the material they need to learn rather than something that just interests them, they won't have to spend time thinking of what to do, and it allows them to self evaluate at the end of the year. Some people may argue that summer assignments should be designed by students. Many may say that students should work on their assignments on how they want to organize it. They think that teachers will assign a heavy amount of work that students may not want. Students may also think that the project will be to hard because teachers like to make work challenging for students. Some may like to work in their best interest and work on concepts that will interest them. Students like taking things on the easier pathway, and just have the assignment done. Although what teachers want is students to evaluate and prepare themselves for the coming year.