Why are study groups useful?
- useful in fostering the ability to think critically.
- forces students to support their opinions with reasoning based on facts,
definitions, concepts and principles.
- also teaches cooperative skills... ability to listen to others, evaluate
their arguments and formulate your own views... give and take of learning.
- considered to be more effective than lectures in promoting understanding
of concepts and the developments of problem-solving skills.
|
| Optimum size of a group: |
- no more than five students... three is the best.
|
| Choosing your group: |
- Go for diversity - People with different perspectives and life experiences
can expand your analysis
|
| Making a study group work: |
remember a group has two roles 1)help you prepare for class and 2)
help you prepare for exams |
| Class preparation group activities... |
- set objectives: choose a topic (focus on a particular class, a particular
area)
- have a common ground: specific cases or reading assignments
- get study worksheets or other printed matter on the content... notes
at the end of the chapters etc.... take turns explaining and being explained
to.
|
| Exam preparation group activities... |
- Don't trade off outlines for different subjects. Instead...
- Agree in your group that everyone is going to come with an outline
they've prepared for a specific area in a substantive course. Bring an
outline on battery... an outline on adverse possession. Share outlines...
see how your outline is weak or strong
- practice exam questions, hypothetical, flashcards
|
