Read on to learn advantages of group study.
1. Procrastination Solution
Because study groups meet at regular times, attending students cannot procrastinate.
If alone, a student might postpone studying until the night before class or may put off learning even longer. When in a study group, however, students must be present at a specific time, and they must be prepared to contribute to the study session. You’ll stay on top of your subject throughout the semester—a real plus when exam times roll around.
If you struggle with procrastination, and many of us do, a study group might just be the solution for you!
2. Learn Faster
Working together, students in study groups can generally learn faster than students working alone.
For instance, some part of the textbook that seems completely confusing to you could be quite clear to another student. In a study group, you can learn quickly by simply asking a question, instead of spending valuable time puzzling over the difficulty alone.
In addition, you can help your fellow students when they have difficulties understanding something that you do understand.
3. Get New Perspectives
If you study by yourself, you will always see your material from the same perspective—yours. While this may not be a problem, getting fresh perspectives on a topic can help you learn it more thoroughly. As you listen and ask questions, you will soon start noticing a variety of different viewpoints on the same idea.
This will force you to think more about your position and will, therefore, develop your critical thinking skills while helping you study.
4. Learn New Study Skills
As you learn new perspectives about your subject, you can also find new study techniques to learn it!
Students develop their own study methods over their years in school. While yours may work excellently, you can still find ways to improve your learning abilities and sharpen your mind.
By joining a study group, you will have opportunity to observe a wide variety of study methods in action. After considering the pros and cons, you can improve your own study regimen by incorporating the best methods with your own.
In addition, you can help other study members improve by sharing your favorite study tricks.
5. Break the Monotony & Get a Boost
Studying by yourself, especially for long periods of time, can become a monotonous activity—especially if you find the subject matter tedious. By joining a study group, you can break this monotony and make learning more enjoyable.
When you feel like there is just so much to learn and it all seems overwhelming, a study group session can be a real boost as members support each other.
The auditory factor of group study, talking and listening, can help auditory learners and students who dislike the silence of studying alone.
6. Fill In Learning Gaps
Study groups provide an excellent opportunity to fill in gaps in your understanding.
By comparing notes with other students, everyone can check the accuracy of their own. They can fix errors, and fill in the details they may have missed.
Members also share tips about how they take notes which everyone can try out.
7. Practice for the “Real World”
Working with your peers in a study group gives you an excellent opportunity to hone your people skills.
If you come across a difficult situation in your study group, you can use it to practice your collaboration abilities. If everyone stays focused on the goal of learning, getting sidetracked by socializing or disagreements that arise will be kept to a minimum. This is excellent practice for when you’ve finished school and are out in the workplace where you will find yourself in similar group dynamics.
Conclusion
Before you go and join a study group, remember that all groups are not created equally. Choose a group that spends its time studying and not just socializing.
Are you taking an online course and you don’t physically meet for class? A study group option may still be available to you. Check if there is an online study group, often on Facebook, for your course.