©Marco Antonio Torres, BY-SA

https://ltl.lincoln.ac.nz http://careerhub.lincoln.ac.nz

Learn smarter with Study Groups

Academic and Career Skills Top Tips

2

Comments made by students after getting involved in Study Groups.

3

What are Study Groups?

Why are they helpful?

Don’t overlook your fellow students as one of those resources. They are going through the same process as you and should be part of your frontline support system. Learning is a social activity and you will find the more you take advantage of opportunities to discuss what’s going on with other students, the more your own understanding will develop.

Small groups of students working together to support one another’s learning. They do not involve a lecturer or tutor, but are independent groups who agree on their own agenda and help support each other to reach common goals.

University study is challenging. You can go it alone and be tearing your hair out…

or you can make the most of every resource available to you to make life a bit easier and more enjoyable.

© Rama_Miguel, 2009, BY-SA

© Psy3330 W10, 2010, BY-SA

4

How can you benefit?

you will reinforce your own knowledge of basic concepts by explaining

them to others

you can get explanations that are pitched at the right level (without all the

jargon)

you get a better picture of what you do and don’t understand

you can get a different perspective on things by discussing them

with others

you can get individualised help

you may find you have increased motivation to do your work

you will know other people in the same class so you have someone to sit

next to, do group work with, or borrow notes from

you can clarify your ideas through discussion before writing

you will develop essential survival skills such as time management,

objective setting, team work and improved interpersonal communication

you can actually have fun while learning

5

Where should you start?

1. Form a group

There are over 3000 students at Lincoln University, and you only need to find 2-5 others to make up your Study Group. People you could ask are:

others from your lectures, labs or tutorials

students from the Halls, if you are living on campus

the person standing next to you in the queue at the café

the student who sits next to you on the bus coming out from town

the ones you met during registration/orientation.

The most effective groups often include people with a mix of ages and backgrounds. Once you have found some interested people, exchange phone numbers and emails and arrange a first meeting time.

2. Find a time and place to meet

There are several rooms available in the library for small group work - you can book them through the Library web page. You might also find space in an empty lecture theatre, use a table in the café, find a spot on the Library lawn or at your Hall. Off-campus you could meet at your flat, a café or even in the pub.

3. Make sure your group will work together effectively

On pages 6-9 there are some guided activities on goal setting, ground rules and conflict resolution that will help you do this.

4. Get started!!

Check out page 10 for a whole selection of ideas for things to do in your Study Group.

© LincolnConnect CC-BY

6

Effective group work

Many of the courses you will take at Lincoln University include group work because, in the workplace, people spend a lot of time working together to share resources, perspectives, ideas and abilities. Employers are therefore looking to recruit graduates with the skills to achieve effective teamwork.

Study Groups can be an ideal opportunity for you to develop and practise your own skills in working with others. While working together in a group can be productive and enjoyable, a group that is not working well can be very frustrating.

Groups are effective not just because of luck, or because of a particular mix of members, but because of individuals working together to make them effective. There is no single “correct” way to behave in a group, but the following activities should help you establish and maintain an effective functioning group. Remember: the key element to success is to focus not only on end results but also on how to get there.

Activity 1: Having a clear group goal

Being clear about group goals is an essential first step. You can prevent later problems caused by misunderstandings by asking each person what they think the group is supposed to be doing and achieving. Questions to ask yourself are:

How often would you like to meet?

Weekly

Every two weeks

Once a month

Just around test/assignment time

Other

What sort of things would you like to do in a Study Group?

© Karobo, 2010, BY-SA

7

Review lecture notes

Discuss readings

Prepare summary notes

Discuss assignments

Study for tests/exams

Other

Once everyone has thought about what they, as individuals, want out of the group, discuss your ideas together at your first meeting and come to an agreement on your basic group goals.

Activity 2: Establishing some ground rules

It is very helpful if your group can come to a mutual agreement of how they will function together. This generally involves establishing a set of ground rules that guide individual and group behaviour. Following ground rules will make meetings run smoothly, prevent problems from getting out of hand, or allow you some control if some group members turn out to be difficult.

Some common ground rules for group work are:

Always attend meetings or, if you really can’t make it, then email/phone to let the others know

Start and end meetings on time

Agree on an agenda for meetings

No interrupting while someone is speaking

No putting others down - criticise the ideas, not the person

Encourage everyone to speak, Your group will no doubt come up with some more that you want to include.

© Dace Ūdre, LBB JSS, 2012, BY-NC-SA

8

When you are setting ground rules, it is also a good time to talk through what steps the group should take if someone is not following this group agreement. That way, if things do start to go wrong, you have contingency plans in place.

Record the ground rules for your Study Group here as a reminder.

Activity 3: What if there are problems?

Inevitably when a group of people are working together there are difficulties and disagreements along the way. The sign of a good group is not, therefore, that everything runs problem-free, but that the group has strategies for overcoming these challenges when they arise.

9

As a group, complete the table below thinking about what difficulties might

arise during group work and what strategies you might use to stop these difficulties becoming major problems.

Potential difficulties

Possible solution(s)

Identifying the cause of a problem can often help the group to solve it. The most difficult problems to deal with are those that develop between group members. It is important to deal with them or your group may end up self-destructing. It can help to:

agree on and identify the cause

focus on the group, not the person (eg. “We’ve got a problem, what can we do about it?”)

focus on the problem, not the person (eg. not “You keep interrupting”, rather, “If we don’t let everyone have their turn to speak we might miss out on some good ideas.”)

express your feelings before they get out of hand (eg. “I’m worried about …” or “I’m getting angry about …”)

10

Things to do in Study Groups

© Drodriguez505, BY-SA

11

A Study Group needs you today!

12

For further information or advice on working in groups,

visit our website at http://ltl.lincoln.ac.nz/

or ask at the Service Point about the workshops, drop-in sessions, and

individual appointments we offer.

Adapted from © Cathy Sherpa, 2000, BY-SA

Appointments Workshops Drop-in