Creating a study group
Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.
Preparation
Transcript
Ali: Hey, you guys, I've been looking for you. I've got an idea – a study group. What do you think? Are you interested?
Dina: Yes! I need a study group, in a big way.
Bea: Me too.
Ali: Do you think we have enough people here for a study group? I mean, there are only four of us …
Bea: Sorry. Three of us. Chris can't do study group. Right, Chris?
Chris: Yeah, there's no way I can do a study group. I have an assignment and then I'm too busy. But I'll stay for this first meeting.
Ali: Should we try and get another group together with us for this?
Bea: No, I don't think so. I think three is fine. Ideal size, really.
Dina: Me too.
Ali: OK, three people then. Four people for the first meeting. What next?
Bea: What about a meeting place? We can't meet here in the library …
Ali: It's not too bad, especially if those other people would go away.
Bea: But we can't exactly ask them to leave, and people might get annoyed with us talking.
Dina: Can I say something here?
Ali: Sure, go ahead.
Dina: There's a study hall next to the cafeteria. It's almost always empty. Could we meet there?
Ali: A study hall?! Who knew? Well, it sounds good to me.
Bea: Yeah. I've never been there but …
Ali: So, we ought to decide how long for and how often.
Dina: I read somewhere that you should make the meeting at the same time each week. Like a seminar. That way we'd take it more seriously.
Bea: We may as well make it for this time since we're all here. Is this time OK?
Dina: Works for me.
Ali: Me too.
Chris: Hang on just a minute. I know I'm not going to be in this group, but aren't we supposed to have a seminar at this time every other week?
Dina: Umm, no.
Bea: Thursday, no?
Ali: No, that's on Thursday.
Chris: Sorry. Forget I said anything.
Ali: Don't worry about it.
Bea: So everyone agrees that this time is fine? Every week?
Ali: How long should we make it?
Bea: An hour?
Dina: Could we find a way of making it two hours?
Ali: Two hours seems a bit like … too much. To start with then?
Bea: Ninety minutes? Compromise?
Ali: Is that OK with you, Dina?
Dina: Fine by me.
Ali: OK, so I guess all we have left to decide is exactly what we'll do when we meet. The final exam is a way off. I guess we could review our notes, or practise learning things by heart.
Dina: I have a list of dos and don'ts actually that I got online. I could be a moderator, and we could use the ideas as a starting point …
No, I have never created a study group, neither will I. I've always found better to study on my own. Managing people and dealing with everyone's schedule is just too much for me.
I’m an actor, and I’ve created study groups to read theatre scripts. It’s a good way to learn lines by heart. However, it’s difficult to establish commitment because each person has their own way of leading or participating in a study group.
One tip is to be disciplined with time, have a clear workflow, and create short coffee breaks — while always maintaining a good environment for discussion and creativity.
Organization should bring satisfaction, not the opposite.
I do have a study group, my advice is to try to reach the same level of knowledge as your classmates before starting to study, in this way it will be more easy for all of you to understand the topic you are studying for, another advice is to study in a quiet place like a library or in your house, but make sure that no one interrupts you. It's very important to be focused on what your teammates says, they can teach you what they know and you can teach them in the same way.
If you want to make a study group but don't want to spend a lot of time being on school, I suggest to create a zoom meeting with your group, in this way everyone could be free of leaving or entering the sesion.
Johanatan Valdez
Tips for creating a study group: Define a common goal, choose compatible members, set a regular schedule, assign roles, create a focused agenda, stay organized and encourage participation.
i've never been creating any study groups. I don't even understand what's it for.
yes, of course. I created some studies groups long time ago, when I was studing Economics in the Barcelona Universiti. I remenber that it was very dificultv tu pass some some items without the help of other students. It was very important to discuss some issues, to ask to the others, and to make summaries.
I have never been in one or created one, i would like to be in one because more brains have more ideas that just one haha.
When I was student, I created a study group with my colleagues.
We were four freinds and I was the moderator.
It was a good experience for each one of us because we were a real team. We shared our knowledge and everyone did his best to reach our study plans.
I prefer to study alone because I can't concentrate while studying with others.