Both formats work well — the right choice depends on your class size, time available, and which skill matters most to you. Small groups (2-3) lower the barrier to entry and build collaboration skills, while individual projects build stronger personal accountability and are easier to assess fairly. Many teachers use groups for a first attempt and individual projects for a second round.
Whether to run this unit individually or in groups isn't a question with one right answer — it depends on your class size, your available time, and which specific skill you most want students to build.
What groups do well
Small groups of two to three lower the barrier to entry significantly, especially for students who'd feel overwhelmed running a whole business alone. Groups also build genuine collaboration skills — dividing roles, handling disagreement, combining different strengths — that a solo project can't replicate. For larger classes or shorter time blocks, groups also mean fewer separate ventures to manage and support.
What individual projects do well
Running a project alone builds a different, equally valuable kind of accountability — there's nowhere to hide if a task doesn't get done, and the sense of ownership over the whole thing, start to finish, tends to be stronger. Individual projects are also simpler to assess fairly, since there's no need to untangle who did what within a group.
Class size and time often decide it for you
With a large class or a tight time block, groups are often the practical choice regardless of pedagogical preference — fewer ventures to support and track makes the logistics manageable. With a smaller class or more time, individual projects become realistic without overwhelming your capacity to support everyone.
A sequence that uses both
If you run this unit more than once across a year or across grade levels, a group-first approach for an initial attempt, followed by an individual project for a second round, lets students build confidence collaboratively before taking on full individual ownership. This sequencing isn't required, but it's a pattern many teachers find works well.
How to assess group work fairly
The most common concern with group projects is uneven contribution. Building in an individual component — a short personal reflection, a log of what each student specifically did — alongside the shared group output lets you see and credit each student's actual role, rather than grading the group as an undifferentiated whole.
Set the groups yourself, rather than fully self-selecting
Letting students choose their own groups tends to produce uneven results — friend groups that lack skill diversity, or one student ending up without a group at all. Setting mixed-ability groups yourself, balancing strengths like organizing, making, and communicating, tends to produce steadier outcomes across the whole class.
Key takeaways
- Small groups of 2-3 lower the barrier to entry and build collaboration skills
- Individual projects build stronger personal accountability and simplify assessment
- Class size and available time often decide the choice more than pedagogy does
- A group-first, individual-second sequence works well across repeated runs
- Mixed-ability grouping tends to work better than letting students self-select
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to have students work individually or in groups?
Both work well — the right choice depends on your specific class and goals.
What group size works best?
Two to three students per group tends to work best.
How do I assess group work fairly if contributions are uneven?
Build in individual reflection components alongside the group's shared output.
Should I let students pick their own groups?
Mixed-ability grouping set by you tends to produce more balanced outcomes.
Looking for a unit flexible enough to run either way? See Kebloom's programs for schools and our guide to building a 6-week classroom business unit, or check pricing.
Key takeaways
- Small groups of 2-3 lower the barrier to entry and build collaboration skills
- Individual projects build stronger personal accountability and simplify fair assessment
- Class size and available time often decide the choice more than pedagogy does
- A group-first, individual-second sequence works well if you run the unit more than once
- Mixed-ability grouping tends to work better than letting students self-select freely
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to have students work individually or in groups?
Both work well. Groups of 2-3 lower the barrier to entry and build collaboration skills; individual projects build stronger personal accountability and make assessment simpler. The right choice depends on your specific class and goals.
What group size works best?
Two to three students per group tends to work best — small enough that everyone has a real role, large enough to share the workload and bring different strengths.
How do I assess group work fairly if contributions are uneven?
Build in individual reflection components (a personal log, a short written self-assessment) alongside the group's shared output, so you can see and credit each student's actual contribution separately.
Should I let students pick their own groups?
Mixed-ability grouping, set by you rather than fully self-selected, tends to produce more balanced outcomes and avoids the common problem of one student doing most of the work.
This article is general information for teachers and schools — it is not professional or legal advice. Nothing here is a promise of earnings for any student.
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