Why are study groups better than self study?
1. When you are studying in a group there is a higher chance that most of the things you are uncertain about will pop out. As annoying/embarrassing as this might be, it goes without saying that it is better to face your weak points in good time. This way, there will be a much lower probability that the exam will catch you off guard.
2. It is often quite hard to understand every detail of the class when doing self study. However, some colleagues of yours might have paid more attention to the parts you missed, and so, you can all help tofill in each other’s gaps. And in my experience, the best way to really learn and understand something is through explaining it to others.
3. Through their cooperative but also competitive nature, study groups promote critical thinking and creativity as new questions and explanations within discussions and debates. Thus, this interactive environment ensures a much deeper learning of the material that would be missed with self study.
4. When you are alone, the temptation to procrastinate is incomparably larger than when in an interactive environment. While being alone, you can always find ways to rationalise postponing the start of your studying – you make a cup of tea every hour (telling yourself it’s important to stay hydrated), you check Facebook every five minutes (again, telling yourself you want to see if a classmate posted anything about the exam…).
How To Organise A Study Group
The easiest way to create and organize your own study group is to form a group with people you share the same motivation and purpose. Students tend to choose people they are close too: their friends in class. However, it is not advisable to have your friends as your study buddies if they are not as enthusiastic as you are, or if you and your friends do not have the same goal or objective in studying.
The group need not to be very big, as 3 to 6 study buddies are enough and it is much better compared to a group that has more than 6 members because the smaller the group, the easier it is to organize and to stay focus.
Set a specific time and place where you and your group could meet and discuss. And most of all, since you are the one who is organising the group, see to it that you prepare an agenda so that your group will be more organised. Set a time frame so that everybody in the group would know what to do and when to do it. You should also seek their opinion about leading and moderating the group.
