The nature and benefits of study groups

  

Date Posted: 1/29/2012 2:32:56 PM

Posted By: Viona  Membership Level: Silver  Total Points: 879

---

Studying in groups

A study group is a group of three or more students who meet regularly to study together. When students study in groups,they understand a given topic better.This is because they are able to put points of discussion in a language they easily understand. If well organised and managed, the study group can be a success.

Advantages of studying in groups
1.Enables students to learn more of what is taught and retain it longer.
2. Fosters self discipline as members have to draw up and stick to a time schedule.
3. Gradually boosts self-esteem when students make contribution in the group.
4. Helps students evaluate ideas and correct misinformation, bias, errors and misunderstandings.
5. Promotes teamwork skills which lead to highly valued lifelong habit of being a team player.


Forming a study group
To gain maximum productivity from a study group, the following points should be taken into consideration when forming it:

a) Size of the group
b) Composition of the group
c) Goals and objectives of the group
d) Assigning of roles among group members
e) The group''s norms
f) The group''s meeting

A group of three to five students is ideal.Groups of more than five find it difficult to get together. In addition, it becomes difficult for such a large group to make decisions and also tend to wander away from the topic of discussion.

A group should be composed of high achievers as well as low achievers. This help to cultivate the virtue of leadership skills as the high achievers mentor their fellow comrades.

Each group member must be clear about the goals of the study group. It is also important to accommodate the needs of each member in the group.

It is important for each member to have a role to play in order to increase commitment.The roles to be shared among the members include : chairperson,secretary, task facilitator and time keeper.These roles

should rotate among the group members so that each one of them can have a chance to demonstrate their capabilities on each of these roles.

Norms which are guidelines for behavior should be set up. The norms should be expressly stated.Norms can include :willingness to be corrected, resolving conflicts amicably, contributing ideas and opinions freely and attending meetings on time

The group should have a regular time and place to meet. Each member should make his or her presentation very educative and exiting. All presentations should be questioned and discussed freely and thoroughly. Each member should make brief notes on important ideas brought out.

Be persistent. Do not give up on the group when faced with difficulty.As group members,you need to get comfortable with yourselves. Work through problems, with honesty and always ensure you keep to the objective of the group.

In conclusion, the success of any study group depends on: encouraging and listening to each other, admitting when mistakes are made and building on each other''s ideas and make sure that every member has a chance to speak.

---

Next: Formalities of legal letter writing
Previous: Home decoration techniques.