Studying is one of the most important part of learning in schools today. We attend classes to learn, and we study to learn even more. But while studying alone in school comes with a lot benefits, studying in a group in school comes with even better benefits. Studying in a group helps you learn faster and better especially when members of the group are very knowledgeable in the subject or topic that is being studied. It also helps you see things from the point of view of group members since ideas and thoughts would be exchanged in the course of studying, it helps you learn new methods of studying, it helps you overcome the habit of procastination and overall, it helps you socialize easily with people both in and out of school.
How then can you build a study group in school?
How To Build A Study Group In School
GETTING GROUP MEMBERS
Just like you, there might be other students in your class who are finding it hard get good grades, to understand certain subjects and topics or to even study while alone. This is where your study group should come in. The first step to building a study group is by recruiting like-minded students who suffer from the same problem in class and are in need of solutions to it. If an algebra equation is taught in class for example, and about 60% of the class population are finding it hard to understand that equation, what do you think will happen if you decide to organize a study group to make that algebra equation easily understandable? Do you think there will be students willing to join the group? Of course there would.
The first step to building a study group in school is getting members to join the group? How then can you get students to join the group?
Like I mentioned earlier, there are like-minded students in your class who share the same problem academically and are in need of solutions to it. You can decide to meet these students one-on-one and invite them to join the study group, with the aim being to find solutions to their academic problems. You can also make membership general by announcing the existence of the study group and its purpose to the general class physical or in a group chat (if there’s one for the class).
ORGANIZING THE GROUP
After you must have created a study group and gotten members for it, the next step is to structure the group. You don’t want to have a study group where members don’t adhere to rules and regulations or one where members cannot meet at an appointed time as a result of individuals differences or personal work. When organizing or structuring the group, you should create a flexible schedule, one that would be fit for every member of the study group. It should cover the dates and times for meeting of members of the study group. It should also cover the number of times members of the study group would be meeting. Do you want to meet twice or thrice a week or every weekday after class? These are things you should consider when creating a schedule for the study group.
You might also want to take into consideration the venue to be used for studying when you are in the process of organization the study group. Is the classroom suitable for group meetings? Or is the school library better? You can even think about using a venue outside the school environment. Whichever one it is, just ensure it is a place that will be convenient for everyone to attend. You don’t want to put the venue of your study group meetings in a church when you know that there are other members of the group that are Muslims and probably won’t like to study in a church. If you are picking a venue outside school, you should also ensure that it is one that is quiet and study-friendly.
Another thing you should do when organizing the study group is to make rules and regulations. Rules and regulations will help regulate the activities of members of the study group.
You should also share duties among some members (not necessarily all) of the group. You don’t want a single person handling everything in the study group. Sharing group duties among some members of the group will help reduce self-centeredness and promote teamwork.
STARTING ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES
Now that you’ve gotten group members and have organized the group, you can now begin academic activities.
As mentioned earlier, part of the things you should take into consideration when organizing the study group is date and time of meetings. It is this date and time of meetings that will determine how academic activities will be carried out in the study group. What then are some of the academic activities that can be carried out in the study group?
a. COMPARING NOTES:- agreed, not everyone is a fast learner. While some can easily grab what a teacher is saying and understand it, others might not be able to do the same. This is where comparison of lecture notes comes in. There is a possibility that the slow learners in the study group will miss some things said by the teacher in class, notes comparison will help them figure out what they missed out from whatever was taught in class. In the case where the slow learners missed out on what was taught in class because they couldn’t understand, comparing notes with the fast learners will make for easy understanding.
Notes comparison helps to ensure that every member of the study group has the right information written in their lesson note. Also, explanations during note comparison will give everyone a better understanding of what was taught in class.
b. HAVING GROUP DISCUSSION:- nothing beats the benefits of having interpersonal communication in a study group. Aside generally increasing your knowledge of a subject or a particular topic, having group discussion helps to generate more ideas about a subject or topic, it helps you see a subject or topic from the angle of your fellow student which most times is different from what you see from the angle of a teacher or a textbook, it helps you understand a topic or subject better and recall them easily during exams. It also helps you clear doubts about certain subjects or topics. Apart from academic benefits, group discussion among members of a study group also comes with someone benefits too; it helps you shape your social life and build interpersonal relationships with others, it helps you improve on your listening and speaking skills.
c. DOING ASSIGNMENTS AND ATTEMPTING QUESTIONS:- when a teacher gives an assignment, he or she gives it with the purpose of making you have a better understanding of the topic/topics that assignment is covering. This is where your study group comes in. Coming together to tackle and answer questions or do assignments is an activity you should include in your study group because it will be beneficial to every member of the group. An assignment is a test of knowledge and proof that learning is taking place. As such, when members of a study group come together to do assignments, it they acquire more knowledge and improve generally in learning.
d. BRAINSTORMING:- brainstorming involves coming together to discuss and throw more light on certain topics or subjects. Brainstorming among members of a study group helps in the sense that allows them to think critically and creatively. They also help to find solution to problems. For example, if certain members of a study group are lacking behind in class terms of learning or they are finding it hard to get good grades, other members of the group can come together to brainstorm and find solution to these problems.
Brainstorming can also promote teamwork which is one of the reasons behind the existence of the study group.
There are other things you can do to build not just a study group in school but an effective one. Always try to take short breaks during study meeting. Whenever there is a meeting, students should always be organized and focus on the reason for the meeting. Also, study meetings should always be scheduled at an appropriate time, a time when every member of the study group would be available to meet. In this way, no one would be left lagging behind.
In conclusion, building a study group in school is no doubt one of the academic activity every student should try to take part in while learning. Being in a study group helps you learn better and faster, it helps you see things from the perspective of your fellow student, it helps you learn new studying methods, it helps you overcome procastination, it helps you improve your interpersonal relationship with others and your social life in general. Building a study group in school shouldn’t be hard to do provided you can get other students to join the group, organize the group by laying down rules and regulations and scheduling academic activities at the appropriate time.
