Free Download CBSE Papers: Techniques for Group Study

Choosing the right people
1. Not everyone is comfortable with group work and the less confident among you must not allow yourselves to feel intimidated by the more confident course participants. But it’s very important that you share your thoughts with at least one other student. So choose carefully exactly whom you wish to work with.
The aim must be mutual support and bene¢t for all participants. This means that everyone should prepare in advance for the session and it’s important for all those involved to contribute.

You should not allow a situation to develop where these sessions become a vehicle for the more gifted to show off or for the more vociferous to hog the proceedings. Equally don’t let a situation develop where the less industrious simply suck ideas from the more conscientious members whilst giving nothing in return.

Co-operation not competition

Co-operation rather than competition is a fundamental requirement to make these groups work. You’re not in competition with each other and the benefits of mutual support are likely far to exceed potential gains to be made from keeping bright ideas to yourself.

Sharing non-technical ideas

Group members can also share:
- Ideas for relaxation and managing stress.
- Techniques and tips such as those included in this book.
- Any relevant experiences of how they solved problems in the past which other group members are now facing. You will find that sessions such as these are a very powerful tool in building both your technical knowledge and your ability to deal with life’s problems generally. Students away from home at university usually find that they have to look to each other for support and what I’m suggesting here is merely an extension of that.
Listening

All group members should be conscious of the need to listen. It will be very important for those with a particular worry to feel that the others are listening. Give the talker time to make their point and encourage them with nods and smiles without interrupting.

Listening should not take the form of waiting for your chance to speak ^ a common mistake for many.

You may then need to seek clarification of any issues and summarise the problem to show that you have listened and understood.

Flexibility

One of the great things about self-help groups is that you can operate them in a way that suits you best. You can agree the numbers, how much time you wish to spend together and how far you will take the arrangement. You can also maintain contact by telephone or e-mail if issues arise outside the meetings or if it proves difficult to get together as often as you’d like to.

Conduct of meetings

Depending on the numbers involved, the length of sessions and the frequency of meetings, you may need to introduce a little formality to make them work well. Someone may have to take the lead in organising and chairing the meetings, although you can agree to rotate this responsibility.
The agenda should be agreed either in advance or at the beginning of each meeting, to reflect as far as possible what people expect to get out of that particular session.

The chairperson should be responsible for managing the agenda within any time constraints as well as ensuring that everyone contributes and gets a chance to speak. Incidentally, all of this helps develop useful skills for later life, a useful by-product in terms of both technique and confidence. Group members should be prepared to respect the chairperson’s role and not resent any instructions given by him or her to run the meeting effectively.

Self-help groups at exam time

We’ll be discussing revision later and self-help groups can work really well during the final stages. Of course you will be hard pressed with your final revision but some time at least with your colleagues can really help in:
- Clarifying any queries arising from individuals’ revision activities
- Providing mutual support at what can be a stressful time
- Providing a well-earned semi-social break.
CHECKLIST

Recognise that you are likely to need some moral and emotional support and identify the sources available to you. Be prepared to reciprocate.

Ensure that, if appropriate, your parents are familiar with the contents of this book and that they share the need to maintain a sense of perspective even when the going gets tough.

Understand and share the need to take responsibility for your own development.

Establish a small self-help group for the regular exchange of ideas and problems.

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Thursday, June 23, 2022

Techniques for Group Study

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