I have to agree with parts of both of these statements. I don't think teachers are lazy, but they should know which students are doing the work and which aren't. Everyone in the group should not be graded equally, period. Also, students should get to pick their groups.

Unfortunately, after working out in the corporate world and even when I'm teaching, most of the group projects I'm involved in are like the group projects in school. A few people carry the group and others just slide along. There is nothing fair about it.

Group projects are a fact of life, both in school and in many other settings as well.
It has been stated that in any group 80% (or more) of the work is done by 20% (or less) of the members. Observation of whatever group you are in (committee, church, PTA, etc.) will confirm this assessment.

Unfortunately, those of us who are that 20% end up doing it in whatever situation we are in because we are the 'worker bees' and just are going to get it done anyway, whether or not the others pull their share of the load.

Being a team player IS important, ask any employer and they will tell you that some of their most valuable employees are the ones who can 'work with anybody and everybody', do their part (and maybe a bit more) and are the ones who will be sure a task gets done.

Be proud to be a 'worker bee', but don't volunteer for more than you can handle comfortably...voice of many years experience speaking here. I've learned (finally, I hope) that just because I CAN do something, doesn't mean I have to be the one TO do it every time.

Good luck and congratulations on that A!

I don't think students learn to work in groups from group projects. I think they just get a lesson in unfairness. The only way to keep it fair is to grade each student on his or her contribution.

I do not like group projects for just that reason. In one class a member of my group argued with the instructor, oh my, was just glad when the class was over.

Maybe this was a lesson designed to teach you how not to treat your students. I sure had a crash course in negative examples in grad school. (And positive ones, too, I admit.)

Speaking up about a team member not pulling their weight does not work with some professors. They take it as your failing to motivate your group member. In our psychology class, there were two guys who would not hand in assignments, hand in incomplete assignments, not show up for meetings after the meetings were changed to accommodate them. When we complained to the professor she asked "would you ladies deny these guys a good grade in this class because of their inconsiderate behaviour?" A resounding "YES" was the reply. Bottom line, we all got A's. Yes, those two lazy, manipulative loser guys who will probably end up CEO's, got A's also. Darn shame. I learned a lesson too. :(

Hmmm so that'll be what 10 quilts then? :) Sorry about that (been there done that). That's the one thing that disturbs me and unfortunately many don't realize it's to help them learn team building etc. But YOU still did great and ROCKED it!

Being a team player is all about "life" - especially in the workplace.

Just one of life's many lessons, get used to it... taxes, welfare, obamacare, 'ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE'. Just remember tho, when you lay your head down at night, you did the best YOU could do and YOU can be very very proud of yourself. Congratulations on your hardwork!!

I am extremely offended by the "group projects are for lazy teachers" comments. Any good teacher understands that some group members do not work as hard and grades with individual rubrics so the working students are not penalized by the other student's lack of work. Participation is always a part of the grading rubric. Most of the time rubrics even ask group members to rate other group member's contributions to the project. Sometimes I had to have students work in groups due to lack of materials, etc. in my science classroom. Most teachers see 120 - 150 students a day and if materials are consumable, you have to group in order for everyone to experience the learning situation you are trying to provide. I can't tell you how many times I have purchased materials and equipment with my own money just to have enough for group projects - no way could I afford to buy for 120 - 150 students. Any good teacher would never let a group project reward poor student work or penalize good student work.
When a teacher is asked to write a reference for a student to go on to college, group participation observations are always included in the references. It is a valuable experience to work in a group, isn't that what we end up doing on our jobs the rest of our lives? How many of your co-workers pull their own weight?
Bottom line, a good teacher is aware of what is going on in their groups and uses a rubric to grade fairly. They are not all being "lazy". Try going home after a long day and spend 3-4 hours at home grading 120-150 projects or tests every night. Even if you put students into groups of 3 or 4, there is still a lot of grading to do each night.