IMAC Education

Learning Communities

Successful students are very often members of a "study group". Typically these groups are 3 to 5 people who study the same subject(s). They meet at least weekly mainly for academic rather than social reasons, and have a clear purpose and agenda for the meeting. Athough the group may also be a social group it is not always the case.

Experience across the world indicates that being a member of a learning community is one of the strongest indicators of success - particularly in university study.

The original intention is often to share the work load of the subject, but there are many important advantages to being in such a learning community. Meeting with a small group regularly allows the members to:

Learn from peers. Explanations of difficult concepts from friends are often more effective at improving understanding than explanations from teachers. Similarly, explaining ideas to friends (who are not afraid to question) requires a lot of deep thinking that help build a better understanding. Simply identifying poor understanding is also useful, while arguing about the real meaning of an idea is a powerfully effective way to eliminate misconceptions.

Share concerns before they become obstacles to learning. Without the reassurance of friends experiencing the same sort of problems it is easy to feel that you are the only one with a problem, and hence feel isolated from all the other (aparently coping) students around.
Maintain a sense of direction. University learning is very different to school, and there are many distractions. Being in a group that has a shared goal of success helps to maintain the balance between work and play, while the interaction ensures a higher level of concentration and motivation.
Keep a sense of academic standard. Working closely with other students ensures that the expected academic standard is understood. Individuals working in isolation are more likely to be complacent, or miss critical quality indicators.
Care about each other. When one person starts to slip in motivation, the others can bring him/her back on track. It is very easy to get a bit behind, miss a few classes, and suddenly be completely lost. If someone is not around for a couple of days it is good to have friends who will check up and make sure s/he is OK.
Develop a sense of belonging to the institution. Feeling that it is "your university" and that you belong there is an important element in success at this level. Being part of a group will make you more confident.
Develop trusts vital for good learning. Learning well requires a willingness to admit lack of understanding, and to put forward half formed ideas for discussion so that real understanding can be gradually constructed. This is hard to do with strangers. Having a supportive group to debate ideas without ridicule is a vital context for good learning.
Work together. Other students are a wonderful resource for making sense of important concepts, and to share up some of the hard work. Sharing resources, critiquing ideas, "marking" each others' attempts at assignments etc. will all make learning more effective and fun.

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