One of the most motivating aspects about a school project is that it gives students the opportunity to get hands-on. Teachers should avoid micro-managing projects or giving overly detailed instructions. Children like to get messy, make things and work with their friends. This includes experiments, craft projects and classroom discussion. Most importantly, students learn the most when they find out the answers for themselves.
School trips that tie-in to a school project can help give students ideas and give the subject more authenticity. Arrange visits to museums, heritage sites and laboratories and invite experts to speak at the school. Hearing experts speak about a subject they love, seeing artifacts up close, watching a performance or visiting an historical monument engages students in a project better than abstract explanations in the classroom.
Many students choose to not participate in projects because of shyness or alienation from the rest of the class. The teacher can help more withdrawn students socialize so that when it’s time to do a project, students are able to interact with peers. Regular group work is important as is assigning clear roles for students within groups. Finally, simply spend some lesson time talking about how to make friends, and how to accept others' differences.
Students should be able to relate the project to their own lives. Show how mathematics and science can help in everyday situations or talk about how communication skills can help you make friends and contacts. Also, it’s important to link projects to the aspirations of students and clearly state how participating now might help them in the future.