Study Groups

Source: https://academicresourcecenter.harvard.edu/2023/09/27/study-groups/ Parent: https://academicresourcecenter.harvard.edu/

Study groups can be an excellent way to strengthen your understanding of course material and build accountability into your week. Study groups are safe spaces where you can ask questions, practice participation, and get to know your classmates in a smaller setting.

What are the benefits of joining a study group?

• Being in a group with a common goal supports and encourages focus on the work at hand.
• Knowing that you are accountable to others can help you get past procrastination.
• Taking advantage of everyone’s unique strengths helps mitigate weaknesses.
• Having the opportunity to explain concepts in your own words helps solidify your understanding of those concepts.
• Listening to concepts explained multiple ways increases the odds of learning them deeply.
• Monitoring how your explanations of concepts land with your listeners improves your communication skills.
• Participating in a study group develops confidence in speaking and sharing ideas in other group settings.
• You will become a stronger learner, teacher, and listener!

Interested in creating your own study group? Here are some things to keep in mind:

How to find students for a study group.

Some courses provide a structure for joining a study group, while others will expect you to coordinate your own. There are lots of ways you can find students to study with:

• Ask your course instructor or TF to distribute an email to course participants.
• Reach out to classmates when you are in small groups.
• Use Canvas by making your own post to a discussion page or asking your course instructor or TF to consider using the “Student Groups” tool on Canvas.
• Go to office hours or other support structures for your course and communicate directly with students you see there.
• Many student organizations facilitate study group connections, so check in with organizations that you already engage with.

What ground rules should your study group establish?

Dedicate some portion of your first meeting to making sure everyone in the group is on the same page. Make sure you are clear on:

• Where you will meet (in-person location, Zoom, Slack, etc.).
• How often and how long you will meet.
• Expectations around participation.
• Course collaboration policies.
• Processes around admitting new members.
• Whether you will have “roles” during the sessions (leader, organizer, note-taker).

What kind of work can you do in your study group?

Decide as a group what activities you will do to best meet your study goals for each session. Before setting these goals, make sure to read your course’s collaboration policy, which will indicate what kinds of work can and cannot be completed collaboratively. Here are some ideas for activities you can likely do:

• Complete practice tests.
• Go over practice tests.
• Review course lectures and reading materials.
• Tackle questions and problems group participants encountered while engaging with course lectures, reading materials, and problem sets.
• Explain concepts to one another to ensure mastery of material.
• Take turns teaching course materials to one another.

How to make sure everyone benefits.

Consider how to create a safe, collaborative environment for your study group. Studying involves vulnerability: if participants cannot admit when they do not understand something, the group cannot serve its primary goal of increasing understanding. Here are some things your group might consider establishing to ensure all participants benefit from your meetings:

• No single person should dominate study sessions (try using a timer or taking turns in different roles to prevent this).
• Take the time to learn everyone’s preferred names and pronouns.
• Treat all questions with dignity and seriousness.
• Respect all levels of understanding and familiarity with course materials.
• Poll the group and see if there are common topics that people need assistance with. Try to prioritize areas of concern/problems based on how many are struggling with the same concepts.
• Set a norm around how long you will spend reviewing any particular area of confusion. If a person in your group is still having trouble after that time has passed, this is a great moment to take advantage of the ARC’s Peer Tutoring program. Your study group doesn’t need to do everything!