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Why Study in a Group?

What Can a Study Group Do for You?

• Reinforces, clarifies, and deepens your learning by providing the opportunity to teach the subject. (Research indicates that many students improve their grades by supplementing individual study with group study.)
  
• Provides feedback -- before the test -- on how well you are learning and retaining the material.
  
• Prepares you for the working world, with its emphasis on teamwork. (You might indicate on your resume that you organized several study groups.)
  
• Provides a "support group." All students feel discouraged at times, but a study group can "refuel" your motivation and make studying more fun.
  
• Helps you overcome shyness about discussing issues in class.
  
• Helps you become motivated to study, because you know your study group is depending upon your preparation.

Creating a Study Group

• Get to know your classmates by talking before class, during breaks, and after class. Determine which students are serious about their studies and which students have a personality that would mesh with your own.
  
• Invite 1 to 4 students to meet with you to study.
  
• An alternative way to find study partners is to study in a location where you are likely to see students from your class. Then, ask a classmate a question about the subject matter and begin chatting.
  
• To avoid a situation of "the blind leading the blind," make sure that at least some members of the group are knowledgeable about the field. You can discuss individual academic strengths and weaknesses as well as areas of undergraduate study with potential group members.
  
• Once the study group is tentatively formed it should meet to explore how the subject matter could be studied, to determine workable meeting times, and to select a group leader (and group recorder if deemed necessary). This initial discussion period is quite important because members need to begin to take ownership of the topic selected and even decide to back out of the study group if the experience does not seem to be heading in personally satisfactory areas.
  
• Define the group s resources at the outset. Which group member has access to notes from 2^nd year students? Which group member has additional textbooks on the subject?

Characteristics of an Effective Structure for Study Groups

In most cases, the ideal study group has from five to seven members. The number of group members should reflect the complexity of the subject to be studied, with study groups who are focusing on highly complex subjects having more members so that the subject matter can be broken down into small comprehensible parts. Group leadership is rotated among members on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The leader of the group is responsible for the following:

• Calling group meetings, communicating time, date and location for the meetings.
  
• Assigning work to group members. One way that material could be assigned to group members is by dividing reading assignments for a class among the group. For instance, if there are five members in a group, each member would be assigned one chapter from the textbook used in the course.
  
• Chairing meetings, with a clear agenda to keep things on track and not waste time.
  
• Soliciting the participation of all group members. The designated group leader must be a moderator who ensures that one group member does not take over the conversation. The group leader also has to ensure that timid group members contribute to the group.
  
• Appointing the next leader.

• All members must set agreed upon ground rules for the group. For example the group should agree to respect each other s time by notifying each other when there will be a potential absence or tardiness and starting study sessions promptly.
  
• Group members should make an agreement that each person must study the subject individually before the group meets.
  
• Group members should make an agreement that each member will spend more time studying his or her assigned topic. Extra time could be spent on the following:

• Some groups begin their session by comparing lecture notes.
  
• Most groups use their lecture notes, a lecture handout, or a study guide written by the professor as an outline to guide the order of topics to discuss. If you are a student in the health sciences, an organ system review is often effective.
  
• IF YOU PREFER A FORMAL GROUP: At the end of each session write an agenda for the next session, with each group member assigned to prepare/present specific material. Volunteer to be the presenter in the area you find most difficult. Research this area thoroughly and become an expert. Develop five questions to ask the others.
  
• IF YOU PREFER INFORMALITY: Decide at the beginning of the session what topics you will study and how you will study. You might assign topics/single lectures to each other and then work independently for a time to come up with 5 to 10 questions on each topic or lecture.
  
• Whether formally or informally, after the topic is selected, group members need to establish and or reiterate specific goals for the session. The goals can be derived from one or more specific questions that group members would like to answer.
  
• Create and Xerox summary sheets and charts to share.
  
• Have each member write a practice test and give these tests to each other.
  
• List your group's remaining areas of confusion and go to the professor for clarification.
  
• Debate with each other, possibly offering different diagnoses or treatment plans.
  
• Group members are encouraged to prepare abstracts, summaries, or reading logs of the materials they have read and then share with other members.
  
• Write sample case studies for each other so that you can practice diagnostic, prescriptive and treatment planning skills.

• Only study in a public area like the Student Commons if the group members are able to keep focused.
  
• Do find a place with comfortable chairs. Also, you may want a room with a blackboard.
  
• Try one of the following locations: an empty classroom, a group study room in the HPC or library, and in some cases in an open conference room.

• If your group begins to deteriorate into merely a social group, use a strict agenda and a strong leader. Or, simply ask, "Will that be on the test?" when group members get off track. Many groups report that most of the time wasted occurs during late night sessions. Decide ahead of time when you will stop studying for the evening. Also, to stay focused, schedule regular breaks.
  
• A STUDY GROUP MUST BE VICIOUS! Do not allow group members to attend the study sessions unprepared. Retaining members who are failing to complete their assigned tasks enables and encourages those members to be irresponsible. Remember, you are not providing free tutoring.
  
• Do not allow lengthy complaints about courses or professors during group time; do this afterwards if you must.
  
• Encourage members to reveal their weaknesses so that they can strengthen them. This will only happen if members refrain from critical comments about one another.
  
• Avoid interpersonal conflicts by building consensus among all group members and refraining from offering criticism in the absence of suggestions for improvement.
  
• Remember, effective study groups require that members develop skills in group dynamics. If at first you don't succeed, discuss the problems with your group and try again. If all else fails, you might try again with another group of students. There is a natural evolution for any group wherein after the group forms there may be initial resistance to some of the group s processes but after the kinks are worked out the group begins to function by completing tasks and sharing information. However if respectful communication cannot be established the evolutionary process of the group is destined to be repeated.

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