Studying, while it might be a fun experience for some, can also be tedious and boring. There are inevitably some concepts that might be hard to grasp by yourself, or a question you failed to raise in class, notes taken that after later inspection appear to be inaccurate after all. But all these issues might be resolved by forming a study group.
A study group, to give a simple definition, is a group of three to five students who meet periodically and who fundamentally have the same goal: to get good grades. you don't need a clinical study to tell you that a lot of students benefit from belonging to a study group. Since different minds come up with different ideas, there are concepts that might be explored in a way that can’t be done when studying alone, or even in class, when people may be afraid that they're wrong and will get reprimanded by the teacher. Members of a study group can also share notes and ask questions about anything they don’t fully understand, or put forward a defense or criticism of an argument that they’re honestly interested in.
A study group can also serve as a practice group for discussions in class, and, more importantly, can provide a venue for preparing for exams. The presiding head of a study group—either the same one each session or aleader by rotation— usually takes the task of providing study questions for the others, or mock exams whose answers will be discussed later among the group, as well as study tests taken to make sure that everyone has understood the gist of what has been discussed. Everyone in the study group is asked to share their ideas, so even students who normally do not think or speak about what they’ve learned have to think actively, and, on sharing their thoughts, gain more understanding on the subject.
There are a few tips and guidelines when forming a study group:
- Find good members. Talk to classmates before class or during breaks to find out which ones you should invite into your study group. Find people who want good grades like you, who are responsible, and who have an open mind to the ideas of others. Most importantly, find someone that you would want to work with.
- Decide the particulars of your study group. If you’re forming a study group to prepare for a coming exam, make sure that everyone in the group knows about this in case they might want to read up first or rewrite their notes. It is also important to decide for how long and how often your study group will meet. Usually, one study session lasts an hour or two, and the group meets two or three times a week. But decide this based on everyone’s schedule.
- Organize. Make a list of your members’ names, contact numbers and e-mail address, and provide the list to the other members so you know how to contact each other if something comes up. If there’s going to be a different leader assigned for each session, make sure that the leader for the next session is informed of this so there will be time to prepare for it. Set a time and meeting place at least a week beforehand so there’s plenty of time to reschedule it or change the venue to fit everyone’s needs.
Remember these tips, handle your study group well, and you’ll be sure to reap the benefits of having a study group.
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