Study group for better grades.

Welcome to TutorTrend

Tutoring Business

Jobs

Studying

Reading

Math

$Math Anxiety$
$Online Math Help$
College

Learning Disability

Homeschool

Talking to Your Kids

Subscribe!

The Study Group

For some, studying is a solitary undertaking, and being a part of a study group feels un-natural. When I was in high school and most of college, I studied by myself. The reason? I’m not real social, and group study seemed to run counter to what I was comfortable doing. Also, I didn’t like to keep appointments, and schedule my day around other people.

If you’re not a social animal, it may be difficult to be a part of a group...at first.

I also knew I could finish my studying much faster alone, than with a group. And to some extent, I had a hard time finding students who were as serious about learning as I was.

When I got to law school, it became imperative to join a study group. It wasn’t faster, and it certainly wasn’t convenient. What it was, was comprehensive. Group thinking, is much more thorough, more in depth.

It can also be more disjunct and unfocused, if you aren’t careful, so follow some of these tips to keep on course.

Organization of a Study Group

There seems to be some disagreement about how big your group should be. The general rule is to keep it small enough to be manageable, and large enough to have a nice diverse pool of intelligence. Generally speaking, you should keep your group between three and five students.

After you decide on the number, then you have to determine who should be in the group. Here’s a hint. Seek like minded people (people who are serious about their grades), and at the same time seek diversity (people who have different life experiences than you). This ensures serious students who have a greater depth of knowledge and experiences to contribute to the group think tank.

Make sure everyone is serious about the group, and hash out consequences for not preparing for, or not attending the study sessions.

To Lead or Not to Lead

Once you have your group, someone has to be the leader.

Of course, you’ll want to be the leader, but if you’re a leader in another study group, share the leadership responsibilities with others. Remember that one reason you form a study group is to make things easier on yourself. Don’t take on too much responsibility, you’re being counterproductive...quit making more work for yourself.

Your Study Groups Purpose

Agree on the purpose for your group. Is the group going to focus on homework assignments, lecture notes or preparation for exams? Each of these purposes may require a different structure for the group, as well differences in the frequency of your meetings and the length of your meetings.

As an example, homework groups will meet more often than exam preparation groups. Make these decisions up front so everyone understand what they’re in for.

Next come to an agreement on the structure of your sessions. Are you going to review for the first 10-20 minutes from the previous study session? Then are you going to cover new material for the next hour, or hour and a half? Then review what you just covered before the session ends?

The more structured the sessions are, the more you will all get out of it. Everyone knows what will be covered, when it will be covered, and how long it will take to cover it.

Decide on a set time and place for all of your meetings. Try not to vary the time or place. You’ll find that the more often you change the time or place, the more often people will forget. We are creatures of habit, so set the dates and times and leave it alone.

Don't Be Afraid of Mixing in Some Fun

Finally, if your group consists of your friends, leave some time after the study session so you can all go hang out together.

Make sure it’s not at the same location as your study session. A coffee house, pub, basketball court...somewhere that is a change of setting. This should be an informal session where you can discuss and debate topics to get a better sense of alternative answers, or alternative thinking. Plus, it gives you something to look forward to, while still using your time efficiently.

Other Benefits of Study Groups

Have you ever heard the expression “The best way to learn is by doing”? One purpose of a study group is to apply the theory that you learned in class. Science experiments would be an example if you have access to a science lab. You can also test the theory by designing creative ways to apply the theory to real world situations.

Does the theory inherently make sense, or does it seem to lack real world application? By coming up with ways to test what you learned in class, you’re actually “studying” the correctness of the theory.

There’s also an expression that says “The best way to learn is by teaching”. Funny how I haven’t heard of the expression “The best way to learn is by learning...” Maybe we got this whole learning thing backwards.

Group members can teach each other the material you are learning. It’s said that if you can teach a subject, then you understand the subject. Take turns presenting the subject to each other, and be ready for debate or discussion on why you may be right or wrong.

I believe one of the best benefits of groups, is the schedule it provides. By joining a group, you are in essence committing yourself to prepare and spend time studying for a particular class. You know by now that it’s easier to accomplish things when you schedule time to do it, rather than doing it when you think you will have time.

Remember that effective studying isn’t a series of random acts. Instead, it’s a series of thought out, scheduled actions that have a specific purpose. Effective learning requires smart planning, and study groups are a way to plan. It’s easy to be a slacker and wait for the last minute if you don’t have a responsibility to others to be prepared.

Remember to Round Out Your College Experience

Finally, a secondary benefit of groups is the camaraderie and friendships it can build. If a study group “clicks” you will probably have friends for a lifetime...or at least until the end of your educational career.

Making good grades together, and helping each other make good grades builds a certain bond. And if you’re successful once, you tend to keep the group together for other classes.

One of the key elements of a study group (that I failed to mention before) is trust. You have to be able to trust your group members, otherwise the group won’t work, or at least won’t work to it’s full potential. This is why good study groups become good friends...trust in each other.

Return from Study Group to TutorTrend Home Page

Return from Study Groups to Study Techniques

SBI!