Getting the Most Out of a Study Group Session
- Set rules and guidelines from the start. At your first meeting, make sure everyone has agreed on expectations, and then establish rules and guidelines
- State objectives or goals. Knowing what you want to achieve at each session helps the group manage time and stay focused. At the end of each meeting, make a plan for the next session and allocate times for each task. Make sure you have an ending time. Stick to your plan.
- Be prepared. Before a session, be sure to finish your assigned reading, review notes, prepare any group assignments, and list topics/questions you want to review.
- Communicate openly. Don’t be shy about asking for your peers’ feedback: “Am I rambling too much?” or “Did I present your point of view correctly?” If reviewing reveals points of disagreement or confusion that you cannot resolve as a group, record questions to ask a Teacher / Trainer
- Stay on topic. For each session, assign someone to steer group members back on topic if they drift.