Study Partners and Group Studying

A study group is a small group of peers who meet whenever it suits them to discuss material related to the subjects they are studying and these groups are all different with the members teaching each other what subject they are good at and so on. These groups can include five to twenty students and sometimes might have a tutor from some graduate program to help them study. These groups are the norm in colleges and even in high school. There are even colleges that set up sessions for students to attend.

Pros of group studying

For students who find it difficult to stay motivated during finals week and cannot organize themselves study groups are a blessing as they help keep students motivated especially in times where the workload increases and keeping one’s sanity together is a hard task. It is easier to be on time for a group of people and so students stay motivated to do their work on time and according to schedule.  Furthermore, it is difficult to remember dates and figures and obviously not everyone can remember them in the blink of an eye. The benefit of a study group and more people studying alongside you is that if you forget something, they might remember it and you don’t have to dig through piles of notes to remember one tiny detail. Everyone also has a different way of studying and all these different types of studying will influence you as well and help you find your niche. You might learn mnemonics that help you memorize difficult concepts or flashcards that jog your memory. Moreover, different time consuming topics can be divided amongst the group so that time is not wasted on boring concepts but rather saved up and used on the harder ones. Whilst teaching someone, the teacher and the student both are benefitted. The teacher gains a clearer understanding or the concept and the student looks at the topic in a new way. Even the questions your friends ask you about a particular topic will help you since you will have to go into detail and explain the concept fully. Flaws in your own concepts will be brought out as well and you will remember these flaws and that will keep you from repeating your mistakes over and over. It is easier to take breaks and socialize as well if you get tired of studying also. Discussions within your group might prove to be fruitful as well because one concept is shown in new and different lights which help to delve deep into a specific topic and make you understand it fully. Another plus is that you might make friendships that help you outside of studying as well. These friends know you a whole lot as they have worked with you and experienced a lot of your moods so they can put up with you. If that is not the strongest foundation for a friendship, what is?

Cons of group studying

It is insanely easy to get distracted as only one person has to bring up a topic wholly unrelated to the material that needs to be studied and this will cause the entire group to lose focus and get off track. Before you know it, two hours have passed and all you’ve done is argue about pointless things. The study group that you’re in will not always be full of people on your academic level. They might be too slow and spend time on topics that you already know a whole lot about and you will have to keep reviewing these topics even though you know them or they might be too fast and leave you behind whilst they move quickly without giving you a chance to catch up. Sometimes, the entire group might have the same problem and this leads to a lot of time wasting as the group met for nothing because what they wanted to ask was something none of them knew.  Not everyone might be as serious as you and so might not pull their weight.  This leads to negativity and resentment and the work that was assigned to that member is left undone which creates issues for everyone in the group.  Moreover, some people tend to have a very negative outlook and instead of helping everyone study all they do is spout negative words from their mouth which affects the overall pace and mood of the group as well.  This way no work gets done and everyone is left with a pessimistic attitude.

Author Bio: This article was written by Walter Smith. He is an education expert and a dedicated writer who control blogs and write paperbacks for Assignment Writing Help Service at the same time in Los Angeles.

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