Study Group Expectations and Style

Our Expectations for Your Study Groups

Remember: We are here to practice the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in your course. The time and energy invested into your participation here should always be with this mission in mind.

Before every study session

• Create a circle of 5-6 desks so when students come in they already have a ready made place to be.  For larger study groups, make a larger circle, or consider two smaller circles.
• As a preceptor pair, please sit at opposite sides of the circle (or at least not next to each other). This way when the preceptors take turns leading a discussion or fostering participation from others, it will not seem like it is coming from one specific point in the circle but much rather from the entirety of the group as a whole.
• Model enthusiasm and interest for the topic.  Don't forget about the FISH Philosophy.

At the first study session (or when you have new attendees)

• Sit down with them and introduce yourself. 
• Ask them to introduce themselves in turn or write name cards.Make eye contact with each person as they talk.
• Remind the participants that you are a student in the class and your job is to act as a facilitator, not a teacher or tutor.  You will reinforce this idea non-verbally, by not standing at the board, only getting up as necessary.
• Remind the participants that the point of the study groups is not simply to review what you already know, but to help each other learn and practice the material. Struggling is a component of learning.  PLUS study groups are a safe place to make mistakes and learn.

At the beginning of the study session

• Smile.  Be enthusiastic.  Leading a group can sometimes be like acting.  Even if you had a tough day, try to play the role of an enthusiastic facilitator.  Greet each person warmly when they enter.  Introduce them to others..(ex: Hi John!  Good to see you!  John, this is Andy; Andy's from Seattle.  Where did you say you were from?" etc.  do this every week.
• recount a funny thing that happened or that was said during lecture that week.
• play some fun music as people are coming in, if possible.
• Set expectations for behavior (take turns answering questions we all know, everyone up at board, speaking at some point; consider asking folks to silence their cell phones (?) to keep their concentration on why they came–to focus and understand the material better.  This will take actively engaging with the course content, not just watching other people.
• Write the agenda on the board.
• Explain the logic:  “Dr X emphasized this in lecture/in our meeting.”

• Start with questions if necessary.  Begin a list “tough topics or questions” on the board that attendees offer during the session and make sure those topics are covered, whether in activities or otherwise. You may ask students to make a list of burning questions–what do they expect to learn?-linking how their concerns will be addressed in the agenda.

• Practice simulating participation from everyone in low stakes ways–introduce yourself to your neighbor, ask a question of them, compare notes on this topic/what can you learn from each other

• If breaking up into groups, consider assigning a role to someone within the group to keep the discussion on topic and steer group members back on topic (just in case they drift).

During the study session

• Be a member of the group.  Do not present yourself as an instructor or expert.  SIT DOWN!!!
• Your role is to facilitate the execution of the agenda.  Participate in a way taht helps you learn; remind and model how study groups are a safe place to make mistakes and learn, and this means struggling and sharing difficulties.
• Do not be afraid to say “I don’t know”, “I’m not sure, let’s look that up”, or share a question with the large group with "what do others think?"
• Stay with the agenda, but allow for flexibility (structure with freedom)
• Remind participants to stay on task, but don’t be rigid.  Chatting is good as long as it doesn’t distract the focus of the group.
• If you can’t explain something so that it is understandable to a participant, then invite someone else to try.
• If, as a group, you cannot come up with the “right answer” or there are multiple ideas of the same thing, contact the instructor/TA and email everyone in attendance with the response

At the end of the study session

• Find out what questions participants have and/or summarize the session.
• Make sure the participants have all signed the attendance sheet.  Either get their emails or write their names down so that you can contact them via Blackboard when you know what the plan is for the next week.  Keep adding names/emails to your list so that you can keep all of them updated.

Study Group Activity Ideas

Notes about facilitation

all quotes taken from "Richard Zeoli's The 7 principles of plublic speaking:  Proven methods from a PR professional", chapter 2, principle 2-Perfection.  Big thanks to Laura Weingarten for sharing this resource!

• "Audience attention usually comes in waves.  Think creatively about how to keep bringing people back into focus."
• Make eye contact with the other attendees.  Ask their name as they enter, tell them yours.  If there's time, ask about their major, or how a recent homework/test in the class went.  This builds up rapport and folks tend to stay in focus if they think they're in an environment where others care about them.
• Vary your tone and pitch.  "Good speakers will (make) remarks in a way that occasionally throws in phrases designed for vocal inflection, because when the audience hears the speaker's tone of voice shift, it is an automatic verbal cue to pay attention.  (share ideas) that cause your voice naturally to go up and down.  Think about places that would allow for such entries.  (for example)  'But the GOOD NEWS is that this means substantial (dramatic pause) savings for all of us!' "
• Consider the content that you're talking about and brainstorm benefits of the system or concept as well as any detriments.  What's somewhat surprising or unexpected?  What or who communicates with what? These can be useful in infusing the content with some excitement and inflection.
• Don't be afraid to pause.  "A well-placed pause:
  • sends a verbal cue to the listener that something important is coming
  • breaks up the tone of voice, allowing the ear to recognize new vocal pitch
  • causes the audience to thing that the speaker really has his or her thoughts together
  • will always feel longer to the speaker than to the audience.  So don't rush it."