Things you should take note
1. Help Others (Not Yourself)
No one should go into a study group expecting other people to help them. They should go into the group looking to help other people.
For obvious reasons, this can improve the group dynamics. No one will end up taking over the study group for their own advantage.
Use your skills to help others and make sure to let everyone else help you sometimes too.
At any moment, there are two main learning roles in any study group:
1. The Teacher
2. The Student
Everyone else in the study group is number 3:
3. The Observer
Observers get almost nothing from a study group. They might as well be watching a documentary or lecture about the subject. It can help but it’s not nearly as good as being 1 or 2.
In the perfect study group, these roles would revolve evenly based on people’s own strengths. When a student gets something better than everyone else, they teach what they know. When a student doesn’t understand something they work to learn it. Both teaching and learning will help you understand the subject better.
Some students (that shall remain nameless) come to study group expecting to always be the teacher or student. They want to be the center of attention. They don’t think about how they can help others learn best.
The group should always be encouraging each person into their best role for that moment.
It doesn’t have to be a perfect balance (because part of this comes down to individual preferences) but always pay attention to how much your contribution is helping or hurting the progress of the group.
2. Keep Up!
Study group shouldn’t be your only study time. It’s your responsibility to keep up.
We all struggle to learn things at times.
Here is the thing…
If you’re struggling because you’ve studied hard and can’t figure it out, we would love to help.
If you’re struggling because you haven’t opened your textbook since the class started, that shouldn’t be our problem.
One of the best parts about study group is how the dynamics of the group add to the depth of knowledge. When one person falls behind:
They have nothing to contribute.
They can fall into a perma-student role.
Perma-Student Role: The student that’s always asking questions that everyone else in the group could answer easily. These questions add nothing to the depth of understanding because everyone else already has a deep understanding (and the question asker is struggling with the basics.)
By not keeping up, you’re hogging one of the two important roles of study group.
We want to help you. We don’t want to give you free tutoring.
3. You don’t have a personal life.
AKA
Thou Shalt Not Hit On Group Members
There are good times to enjoy yourself as a group. Study group is not that time! It’s the time we are supposed to be learning stuff. Image Source
From the time study group starts to the time it ends, you’re not allowed to discuss anything personal. This time is only for intellectual discussion about the subject at hand.
We understand you might want to discuss your boyfriend or girlfriend or some stuff. That’s why you don’t have to show up. Heck, 5 minutes after study group we might even want to hear all the juicy details.
A study group without a solid focus is not a study group at all. It’s just a social gathering.
(And no… I don’t want to go out with you. People that interrupt my study group get on my nerves.)
We come to study group to learn.
4. Thou Shalt Share Resources
Shared notes give you more perspective on what’s important.
One of the best things you have to contribute is your own notes.
You know how you find yourself zoning out and daydreaming randomly through class? Well… everyone does that. Fortunately, not everyone does it at the same time.
By sharing resources, you get a broader perspective of what the teacher discussed. You may have missed an important point that someone else wrote down.
More importantly, you get a better idea of what the teacher emphasized. If you all wrote it down then it’s probably important.
5. Thou Shalt Share Ideas
One of the greatest advantages to having a study group is the extra sets of eyes you get to take advantage of.
Everyone sees something different. By getting multiple perspectives, you get to choose the one that you think is best.
This is particularly important with your class syllabus. Teachers often unintentionally create silly quirks that can be taken advantage of.
For example, many teachers make work that takes forever virtually worthless on the syllabus. If one student catches this disparity, all the students get the chance to take advantage of it.
6. Friendly Competition Is Good
Competition can make learning faster and more fun when used right but pay attention
No one wants to come to the study group feeling like an idiot.
That’s one of the major reasons study groups work so well. They force everyone to risk embarrassment. That makes them study before they go. Most students are willing to tuck away a bad grade and pretend it never happened but almost all students hate sounding like an idiot in front of classmates. (At the very least, they don’t want to be the only one sounding like an idiot!)
This competitive drive is a fuel to keep us all going.
We may play games in the study group. There will be losers. There will be winners. (And there may even be some excessive bragging from the big headed.) This is good. The only reason it won’t be good is if someone is cheating or someone is unprepared.
Studying hard and losing a competition is always better than not studying and winning.
Ground Rules During Discussions.
o Listen actively and attentively.
o Ask for clarification if you are confused.
o Do not interrupt one another.
o Challenge one another, but do so respectfully.
o Critique ideas, not people.
o Do not offer opinions without supporting evidence.
o Avoid put-downs (even humorous ones).
o Take responsibility for the quality of the discussion.
o Build on one another’s comments; work toward shared understanding.
o Always have your book/readings in front of you.
o Do not monopolize discussion.
o Speak from your own experience, without generalizing.
o If you are offended by anything said during discussion, acknowledge it immediately.
o Consider anything that is said in class strictly confidential.
NOTICE: (after discussion, kindly give an alert when you reach your various hotels or halls)
For security reasons.
You can use your school Vodafone sim to call a friend and give updates. If you have no data.
WHATSAPP GROUP
1. misbehaving leads to removal or suspension
2. Avoid insults (you will be fine of this offense ) failure to do so leads to removal or suspension; which will be determined by members
3. Be active.
4. Respect the views of others.
Note : you'll be penalized when one of the above is broken(fee of 1 Ghana cedi)
1. Help Others (Not Yourself)
No one should go into a study group expecting other people to help them. They should go into the group looking to help other people.
At any moment, there are two main learning roles in any study group:
Study group shouldn’t be your only study time. It’s your responsibility to keep up.
We all struggle to learn things at times.
They can fall into a perma-student role.
Perma-Student Role: The student that’s always asking questions that everyone else in the group could answer easily. These questions add nothing to the depth of understanding because everyone else already has a deep understanding (and the question asker is struggling with the basics.)
AKA
Thou Shalt Not Hit On Group Members
From the time study group starts to the time it ends, you’re not allowed to discuss anything personal. This time is only for intellectual discussion about the subject at hand.
One of the best things you have to contribute is your own notes.
One of the greatest advantages to having a study group is the extra sets of eyes you get to take advantage of.
Competition can make learning faster and more fun when used right but pay attention
No one wants to come to the study group feeling like an idiot.
Ground Rules During Discussions.
o Listen actively and attentively.
o Ask for clarification if you are confused.
o Do not interrupt one another.
o Challenge one another, but do so respectfully.
o Critique ideas, not people.
o Do not offer opinions without supporting evidence.
o Avoid put-downs (even humorous ones).
o Take responsibility for the quality of the discussion.
o Build on one another’s comments; work toward shared understanding.
o Always have your book/readings in front of you.
o Do not monopolize discussion.
o Speak from your own experience, without generalizing.
o If you are offended by anything said during discussion, acknowledge it immediately.
o Consider anything that is said in class strictly confidential.
NOTICE: (after discussion, kindly give an alert when you reach your various hotels or halls)
For security reasons.
You can use your school Vodafone sim to call a friend and give updates. If you have no data.
WHATSAPP GROUP
1. misbehaving leads to removal or suspension
2. Avoid insults (you will be fine of this offense ) failure to do so leads to removal or suspension; which will be determined by members
3. Be active.
4. Respect the views of others.
It will be updated from time to time
-No one is above the Law-
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