Forming a study group is a great way to challenge yourself to learn new material. Have you ever heard that in order to teach about a subject, you have to know it very well yourself? The same premise applies to study groups. Study groups are all about teaching students what they know to their peers.
1) choose carefully: Decide who would be a good fit for your study group before approaching them to join. You want a dedicated student who will do his own thing within the group; don’t choose someone who is popular, but is lazy in terms of their work habits. Small groups work best, usually no more than six to eight members total.
2) divide to conquer: Decide what material the group will cover in the next study session and assign individual members to cover a section of the material. This way, you only need to study an overview of the material, rather than studying it all in depth, as each section will be covered more fully within the group. Have the person assigned to each section take notes for the other members of the group.
3) challenge each other: Begin each study session with a brief review of the material covered in the last session. Ask the student who covered the material in depth in the previous session to create a series of questions about the material for the others to answer. Use these questions to help you prepare for tests.
4) stay on topic: Try to stay on topic and don’t let the study session deteriorate into criticizing your instructor’s sauce-stained tie, or the too-short skirt the most overweight woman in class was wearing yesterday. It might even help to designate a group member to keep everyone focused.
5) meet regularly: For best results, meet with your group two to three times a week. Keep the sessions to 60 to 90 minutes of time. Study sessions that are too long cause exhaustion for everyone involved and reduce material retention.
Good luck in forming your own study group. You will enjoy studying more when you can share the trials and tribulations of learning new material with others.