Losing Momentum in Project-Based Experiences? Rotate Roles, Reignite Engagement

Tired of watching student teams burn out mid-project? Or seeing the same student take charge while others fade into the background?

In this episode, I share a simple but powerful strategy that reinvigorated our year-long student-run business: rotating roles. You'll hear how a single shift—letting students try on new responsibilities—rebalanced workloads, re-energized participation, and fostered deeper collaboration and skill growth.

Through the story of our Montessori middle school café project, you'll hear how rotating a fatigued marketing manager into product development not only reignited his excitement, but sparked new momentum across the entire team.

You'll learn:

• Why rotating roles prevents burnout, apathy, and imbalance in student teams

• 4 simple, flexible roles you can apply to any PBL experience

• How role rotation supports fairer assessment, stronger collaboration, and broader skill-building

• Quick examples for applying this in an urban garden, student podcast, or playground redesign

• Why this small shift keeps projects moving forward—without constant teacher intervention

Whether you're guiding 6th graders through their first group inquiry or facilitating interdisciplinary projects with high schoolers, this episode will equip you with one of the easiest changes you can make… that delivers outsized results.

👣 Start small, start now—and keep the momentum going.

Get the 12 Shifts Book: 12 Shifts for Student-Centered Environments