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Tips for Successful Math and Science Study Group Meetings

March 4, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Math and science study groups are effective tools for students to develop new problem solving skills and practice peer learning. Each subject requires different skills, and as such, each subject should have a slightly different meeting setup. Here are some tips for maximizing the success of math and science study groups based on the course subject.

General Chemistry
This introductory course can prove to be challenging for many undergraduate students. For an effective general chemistry study group meeting, students can try to work through tougher, multi-step problems together, talking through the different problem solving approaches and tossing out ideas. This will not only help students learn how to solve the problems, but it will also help them learn different ways of thinking about the problems. Similarly, lab reports are often easier in teams, and students can explore different ideas and compare their results for a better understanding of the material.
Math
Like chemistry, math students can often benefit by working through problem sets and challenging problems together. Conceptual learning is incredibly important in math classes. Working in teams can be beneficial because it allows students to explain their thought processes and lean how their peers have developed a different conceptual understanding of the material.
Physics
Working in teams is especially important for physics labs, where students will build circuits together to learn about electricity and magnetism, and work together to understand mechanics. Some physics students might be interested in pursuing a career in engineering; study groups that focus on hands-on activities, labs, and lab reports can give these students practice working in groups, which will help them later on in their careers.
Biology
Biology can entail a great deal of memorization, so students in biology study groups can maximize their success by quizzing each other and creating flashcards and study guides together. Problem solving together can be helpful for topics such as genetics, biochemistry, and population ecology, as these topics often involve more math-based problems.

With these strategies in place, a study group can become more streamlined and effective.

Filed Under: Education, Peer Reviews Tagged With: Competitions, Education, Mathematics

Troubleshooting Common Peer Facilitation Issues

February 25, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

There are a few common issues that might arise in peer facilitation workshops, including lack of participation, differences in student skill level, or an inappropriate difficulty of the material. Here are some guidelines for resolving these issues to improve the effectiveness of the facilitation workshop.

Lack of participation
Sometimes students will not feel comfortable participating, either because they are shy or because they don’t feel like they have a good grasp of the course concepts. Peer facilitators can help prevent this issue by conducting an ice breaker during the first workshop, in which all of the students get to know each other better. Additionally, if there is silence or confusion during the workshop, the facilitator can ask individual students what their thoughts or concerns are with the material; this way, students will not feel pressured to come up with a specific answer.
Differences in skill level
Generally, each student is at a slightly different skill level, and this can create issues if there is a large disparity of skill levels within the group. Sometimes, more knowledgeable students can be paired with less knowledgeable students in an effort to teach or explain the material to them. Other times, the workshop is more effective when students of equal skill levels are grouped together, which makes each student feel like he or she has a more active role.
Too easy or too challenging group work
Problem sets or discussion topics can sometimes be too easy or too difficult for the group. Peer facilitators can work around these issues by breaking down tough problems into smaller pieces, or by asking deeper questions about simple concepts.

These tips should help improve the issues that can sometimes come up during workshops.

Filed Under: Peer Reviews Tagged With: Facilitator, Student

Guidelines for Peer Facilitation

February 18, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Peer facilitation workshops can be a great way for students to learn effective skills for working in groups and teaching others. Here are some guidelines for students looking to pursue a peer facilitator role in the classroom.

Relax
The first thing to do is simply relax! The peer facilitator role can be challenging, but ultimately peer facilitation workshops are designed to get all students involved. It will not be like a presentation or teaching class for the day; but rather, it will be a way to make sure that the discussion and group work is flowing smoothly, and that all students are learning.
Guide the discussion
This aspect of peer facilitation can sometimes be the most difficult. When students ask the facilitator about confusing concepts, the peer facilitator should direct these questions back to the group. Let others contribute their ideas; if no one knows the answer, encourage them to work it out on their own. The idea is for the students to turn towards the group with questions first, before asking an authority figure, such as the peer facilitator or the teacher.
Avoid giving out answers too quickly
Similarly, it can be tempting to hand out the answers when the group is stuck, but the peer facilitator should avoid this as much as possible. The goal of the workshop is not to get all of the answers correct, or even finish all of the problems; instead, the goal is to improve teamwork and actively participate in learning the material. Sometimes this will happen through finding the answers, while other times the greatest learning will come from working through mistakes.
Be honest
Lastly, the facilitator should be honest if he or she doesn’t know the answer; admitting limitations is important so that students have the correct information.

These simple strategies should help student facilitators grow into effective leaders during their time in peer facilitation workshops.

Filed Under: Education, Peer Reviews Tagged With: Facilitator, Student

How to Implement Peer Facilitation in the Classroom

February 8, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Peer facilitation can improve students’ leadership and problem solving abilities inside and outside the classroom. This technique can be easily integrated into a class’s normal curriculum with these steps.

Introduce active learning workshops
Students should become familiar with the style and feel of active learning workshops before they begin leading their own workshops. Begin by conducting one or several workshops in class using the basic setup of a peer facilitation workshop. Split the class into small groups of between 5 and 7 students and give them a task, such as a problem set, worksheet, or discussion topic. You should act as the peer facilitator, demonstrating the proper techniques for good facilitation during this time. Avoid lecturing or tossing out answers until after the workshop is over.
Make sure the class is at the proper level of participation
In order for a successful peer facilitation workshop, students should all be prepared to contribute, both as the peer facilitators and as the group members. Make sure the class feels comfortable speaking in front of the group at least part of the time; generally, students will participate much more in smaller groups.
Outline the goals
Make the students aware of the goals of peer facilitation. Explain to them the importance of active learning and guided discussion techniques so that they are prepared to lead the workshops and contribute.
Solicit feedback following the peer facilitation group work
After you have conducted your first peer facilitation workshop, solicit feedback from the class about their experience. Did they enjoy working with each other? What was the most enjoyable and the most frustrating aspect of this type of learning? Which facilitation strategies worked best, and which were the least effective? Asking for feedback will help streamline the experience for the next workshop or for the next class.

These steps will help create a smooth transition into using peer facilitation in the classroom.

Filed Under: Education, Peer Reviews Tagged With: Facilitation, Student

Benefits of Peer Facilitation

February 4, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Peer facilitation is an active learning technique that is often found on college campuses. During this setup, a group of students works together on a problem set, lab, discussion, or other challenging problem. This group, which is usually a small group of less than ten students, is not led or taught by an instructor, but rather facilitated by a peer. The peer facilitator does not lecture, present, or even deliberately teach; instead, he or she guides the group through the workshop. This method can benefit students in several different ways.

Increased participation
Having a student lead a workshop will increase participation all around, as the other students will be more motivated to contribute. The setup of the peer facilitation class is geared towards teamwork and problem solving, rather than note taking and listening to a lecture.
Leadership
Rotating which student is the peer facilitator provides each student the chance to improve his or her leadership capabilities.
Active learning
Students are actively involved in their learning, as they must be the ones to find the answer by working through the questions. In traditional methods of instruction, the teacher provides the answers or works examples in class, while in peer facilitation, the peer facilitator does not provide the answers but guides the group.
Problem solving skills
Learning in this manner provides students with additional problem solving skills that they might not otherwise develop from a more traditional, lecture-based class format. Additionally, the peer facilitator will develop a new set of leadership and problem solving skills, as he or she must direct questions back to the group, avoid giving answers directly, and avoid too much explaining. Instead, the peer facilitator should be helping the other students figure things out on their own.

The value of peer facilitation is gradually becoming recognized as more and more institutions begin implementing this technique.

Filed Under: Collaboration, Peer Reviews Tagged With: Facilitator, Peer group, Student

Getting Ready for a Test? Take a Prep Course

February 1, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Testing is not easy for most people. It takes a lot of work, reflection, and study to feel like you are going to do well on a test. Even then, you may not do as well as you thought you would. On the other hand, you may do extremely well, even when you feel completely unprepared. So, what are some things that can help you get ready for a big test that is coming up?

Get the guide. If there is an official guide for the test that you are taking, get it and go through it. Many times, the practice questions on these guides are very similar to the test questions.

Take a class. For example, if you are taking the gmat test, you will want to take a GMAT prep course. These can be extremely beneficial. Not only do they help you go through with will be on the test, you are also able to ask questions and get things clarified before having to take the test. This is invaluable to many people that are getting ready.

Take as many practice tests as possible. This will help you get ready, and get your mind in the right spot. If you can find practice questions online, go through them. They will help you get ready for the test, and give you another way to gear up.

Relax. Testing can be frustrating. This doesn’t mean that you have to stress over it constantly. Instead, take a little time to relax. If you over stress yourself about the test, or overwork yourself in your studying, it is extremely possible that you may end up freezing the day of the test. So take a little bit of time, sit back, and relax!

Filed Under: Education, Peer Reviews Tagged With: Education, GMAT prep, Graduate Management Admission Test, Tests

Tips for Successful Humanities Study Group Meetings

January 25, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Study groups for the humanities can benefit students by letting them explore ideas and concepts with their peers in a format similar to a seminar class. Here are some general tips for successful humanities study groups, which will differ from study groups for other types of classes.

Discussion-based format
Structuring a humanities study group in a discussion-based format can greatly help students think on their feet and learn from their peers. Instead of bringing class materials to read or flashcards to make, which are helpful in other classes, humanities students can instead bring a list of topics and conceptual questions to share with the group. This way, students will be able to learn from each other, practice speaking and listening, and even create new ideas together as a group.
Concept-focused
Similarly, when creating study guides or practice questions, humanities students should focus more on concepts and less on direct facts, especially if time is limited. While some memorization might be necessary for the class, most humanities exams will be focused on conceptual understanding of the material, with questions that are structure in a similar fashion. Students can better prepare for exams and gain a deeper understanding of the course concepts by focusing on idea-based learning during their study group meetings.
Circular seating
Students should make an effort to sit in a circle, or at least in a less structured format than the typical classroom setup. This will help them feel like everyone is on an equal footing, in addition to relaxing the study group, which will improve participation and comfort speaking to the group. Many smaller humanities classes are trending toward this seating arrangement, so practicing sitting in a circle will ultimately help humanities students in the future as well.

These tips can help humanities students grow more comfortable discussing concepts openly with their classmates, which will later benefit them in class.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Education, Student

The Ability to Collaborate with Other Students via Online Education

January 17, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Online collaborative learning efforts were promised to provide everyone with access to the best teachers available. When the concept rolled around, digital learning was still a reasonably new idea, but the implications were far reaching. No longer were students limited to the teachers that populated their school of choice, making selection of a school the ultimate limiting device.

With digital collaboration, the best teachers from each discipline were available to the best and brightest students, who would presumably seek them out. And the system has delivered on the promise. Qualified students are now able to learn from a professor of Harvard rank, while they live in Lincoln, Nebraska, far from the hallowed ivy covered school’s buildings.

It is now possible for the best and brightest to remain in a comfortable and familiar home setting, retaining their own cultural flavor, while collaborating with folks of a similar caliber from across the nation. No longer does coming from an area as remote as Lincoln mean that one’s opportunities are limited to whatever is available in the Midwest. Now, the best minds in physics, for example, can come together and learn about one another’s regional differences as they problem solve. For example, the physicist from South Central Los Angeles and the physicist from Bloomfield, Indiana can now appreciate one another’s cultural nuances while still getting a project completed.

Successful projects and collaborations lead to further unions, and online learning resources such as elearners.com allows talent to reach across the nation. Video chats put your project partner right there in the room with you, so collaborative efforts are more convenient. After this fashion, the best minds quickly learn that remaining at the top of a field of study necessitates remaining amongst the best and brightest in that field. Whether it is in person or via technology, that is no longer relevant. Specific personal traits can also be sought, so the group remains cohesive and highly productive.

Filed Under: Collaboration, Online Learning Tagged With: Collaboration, Education, Facebook, Learning, Student, Teacher, Technology, United States

Troubleshooting Common Writing Workshop Issues

January 15, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Creative writing workshops are an effective method for peer review; however, a few common issues might arise. Here are some ways to prevent or improve these occurrences during a workshop.

Lack of Participation
Especially during the first writing workshop of the class, lack of participation might be a problem you run into when leading the workshop. Students might feel uncomfortable judging or critiquing the work of their peers, or perhaps they still have not developed the comfort level necessary for participating freely. One easy way to guard against a lack of participation is to have students read and comment on the piece before class; then, if not enough students are participating, you can ask each student to read one of their comments aloud. Usually, once a couple of students begin to participate, then the rest of the class will open up and follow suit.
Overly Positive Feedback
Another common issue with creative writing workshops is an excess of positive feedback, with very little constructive criticism or helpful questions. This can be common in a class in which the students don’t know each other very well, or one in which everyone is a beginner. A simple way to steer the discussion away from this type of feedback is to elicit more questions from the student reviewers; this will point out unclear areas without making anyone feel awkward or guilty for giving feedback that was not completely positive.
Overly Negative Feedback
Similar to overly positive feedback, occasionally overly negative feedback can disrupt a workshop. During this situation, students will often spend time pointing out the flaws or confusing areas of the piece, without giving equal weight to that piece’s creative strengths. To fix this issue, you can ask your students to point out stylistic elements and rhetorical strategies that the author used. This will help students recognize the literary value of the work, which can lead to a deeper appreciation for their peer’s writing.

If these common issues can be fixed or avoided, then the workshop will prove to be successful and helpful to all students involved.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Creative writing, Writing circle

Preparing for a Creative Writing Workshop

January 8, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

In-class creative writing workshops can provide helpful and constructive feedback to students, but they require a good amount of preparation. Students must feel comfortable sharing their work and open-minded about critiquing others’ work. Here are some strategies to establish this comfort level before beginning a creative writing workshop.

Introductions and Class Participation
From the first day of class, it’s important to engage each student in class discussions and readings. Introductions are generally an important component of the first day of any creative writing class, especially in small, discussion-based seminars. Take some time to let students introduce themselves to the class; this will not only help everyone remember names, but also feel more comfortable speaking during the rest of the class. Similarly, having students read passages aloud will get them comfortable with contributing to the class, listening to each other’s reading style, and actively engaging during each discussion.
Discussing Works by Other Writers
Before beginning an in-class creative writing workshop, be sure to discuss poems, short stories, or articles written by other writers. In addition to learning how to analyze and critique creative work, students will also begin to get a feel for the individual writing style of a writer, making it easier for them to sympathize with their peers during workshops. It’s important to briefly go over some of the rhetorical devices and techniques used in these works, which will help students identify those same strategies in their classmates’ writing once the workshop has begun.
Remove Judgment and Direct Criticism
Help encourage students to be open-minded and constructive during other discussions. Judgment, mocking, and jokes at the expense of the writer will harm the atmosphere of the creative writing workshop, so these issues should be addressed and taken care of beforehand. While constructive criticism can be incredibly helpful, direct criticism without suggestions for improvement can be harmful; make sure that the students are aware of this and making an effort to be constructive in their discussions.

With these strategies, students can prepare to contribute thoughtfully to discussions and feel comfortable both soliciting and offering feedback during the writing workshop.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Creative writing, Workshop