While school friends do wonders for student’s social lives, they can also be a great help for tackling tough lessons and homework. Having a study group can be a great help when hitting the books, but be wary study time does not turn into a social time that aids in procrastination rather than action.
Before assembling a study group, give these tips a quick peek to ensure your study group is going to be more of a success than a distraction.
7 Tips to Create an Effective Study Group
1. Keep the group manageable in number – 3-5 students is ideal.
2. Designate a moderator – this is someone who will make sure the group is staying on task and getting things accomplished.
3. Make each member responsible for a certain topic or section – this helps be sure that everyone is doing their fair share to help the group.
4. Before meeting as a group, have each member study the section they are responsible for and identify key points – this will cut down on the time needed to go over each section while studying and ensure the group is only focusing on the most important information.
5. Ensure that each group member is comfortable with the material in the section they have been assigned so they act as an ‘expert’ in that area – this will allow them to answer questions and help other group members if they have problems with that topic.
6. Have practice quizzes – each group member could prepare some sample questions from the material they are covering to ensure all group members are learning the material.
7. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – asking a teacher for guidelines shows initiative, and who knows, the teacher might just be willing to help identify some key topics that should be covered while studying.
Why Study Groups Work
Study group success can be attributed to one main thing: paraphrasing.
Talking about key concepts and information with other individuals who will put the information in their own words gives students multiple ways of looking at the material. It also helps avoid plagiarism by getting students used to explaining information to others in their own words, a skill that will be beneficial as the years go by.
In Other Words
A student reviewing a section of material for the study group should practice putting the information in their own words. Simply reading from the textbook during the study group defeats the purpose of putting several brains together: reading word for word what the material is can be done alone. Students should ask themselves “what does this mean?” and get comfortable putting the things they are learning into their own words so they can easily explain their new knowledge to someone else. The phrase “in other words” is a study group’s best friend.
Additional Ways a Study Group Helps:
· Gives students new perspectives on a topic
· Helps divide study responsibilities into manageable parts
· Gives students a feeling of camaraderie with peers
· Helps to develop interpersonal skills (group work skills)
· Helps with confidence in explaining new knowledge
· Can help remove study-related stress
Oxford Learning provides supplemental education services across North America. It offers programs for young people from preschool through university, and its cognitive approach goes beyond tutoring to ignite a lifelong love of learning. Find out more at http://www.OxfordLearning.com
*This is a sponsored post by the wonderful people of Oxford Learning*
