“HOW TO” Facilitate Your Own Study Group

Pre-Group

Take initiative: Meet with your professor to let them know that you’d like to start a group. The professor may even be able to help guide your choice of content.

Be decisive: Establish a time and public meeting place that works well for you. Then let others know the details. How? See below.

Think about it: Is it possible for you to make an announcement to the class about the group? Would the professor send an email to the class with your group info? Do you collect emails and then send a group email? How will you get the word out?

Create objectives: To move forward and be effective, your group should have a purpose. Use four class topics/questions/concerns as a guideline.

Be consistent: Don’t get discouraged if your group is not the most popular group. Keep your group meeting time and place consistent. Maybe announce the group in class every two weeks? Remember, QUALITY of session is more important than QUANTITY of attendees.

During Group

Be in charge: Try early on to direct the group…just enough to get things started. Then…

Be calm: You want to work to create a collaborative environment. Work towards the group objectives, and allow for tangents. Remember, the objectives are the guide, not the rule.

What you know: Try to draw on knowledge that you already collectively possess. Build on the concepts that you all grasp. Use that information to better understand those things you don’t know.

What you don’t know: What questions do group members have? What don’t you know?

Ask: What happens when group members have conflicting info? Use this to move toward group consensus. You can always ask the professor to clarify those concepts with which the group struggled.

After Group/End of Session

What now?:

·  Review? Summarize?

·  Plan another session? Maybe you can schedule a group before each test/quiz?

·  Visit All Campus Tutoring? They may be able to help.

·  Visit with the professor? Ask for clarification.

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