Collaborative learning has been acclaimed by most of the renowned education experts across the world. The way it brings changes in academic performance, communication skills, and developing confidence is of immense importance for a student. Studying is a thorough process that requires proper attention along with appropriate guidance. Moreover, studying in groups allow students to share their doubts and concerns in a friendly way and get instant solution for it. Studying in groups has its own advantages and disadvantages and to make maximum out of it, a student must know when to study solo and when in groups. RAK American Academy, the first American curriculum school in Rak also emphasizes on studying in groups and allows its students to share their ideas and views regarding a particular topic. This segment will discuss some important aspects of group study including both its advantages and disadvantages.
Let’s start with some advantages first.
Brainstorming
Studying in groups allows students to share their views on a common topic and look for a possible solution for any query or a doubt of any group member. This enables them to explore a little deeper into their pool of knowledge and come out with a possible solution. They tend to develop a problem solving skill when work in groups and this makes them to think beyond their normal capacities. Brainstorming is a good practice that allows students to generate new ideas and innovate radical learning abilities within them. Most of the schools in Rak educate parents about the benefits of studying in groups and motivate them to allow their children study in groups.
Clarifying Complex Topics
Group study has proven to be quite helpful for getting instant solutions for any difficult topic or concept. Children often feel absolutely free to share their doubts with their classmates and discuss over some critical concept to comprehend it better. Every child has a different perception ability hence, studying in groups brings together several minds and allows a student to choose the best explanation that he can comprehend in the best way. Moreover, different children have different expertise in their subjects. Studying in groups also brings together various experts on a single platform where they share their ideas and knowledge in the most creative way. International schools in Ras-Al-Khaimah are focusing much on this aspect of group study to enhance learning experience of students.
Gaining Confidence
When children get instant solutions through their friends in group studies, they tend to develop required confidence and approach their studies with much curiosity and tenacity. They develop a strong trust among their group members that if there will be anything worth confounding, they can easily get to a possible solution for that within their groups. Hence, studying in groups acts as a motivation for them to gain maximum expertise over different subjects and this automatically develops their confidence level.
Here are some major disadvantages of group study:
Distractions becomes a major pitfall
When children come together to study in groups, it often happens that the topic gets deviated to some trendy event and children quickly lose their interest in the topic that has been started for studying. Moreover, everyone has something to express on that trendy topic and thus, it goes too long to allow children to come back to their original topic.
Lack of coordination
When too many minds come together to sit and study, a proper understanding among them is of immense importance. It often happens that due to lack of proper coordination among them the topic becomes much confounding as everyone tries to impose its point of view abruptly on it. This makes the discussion much intense and no one gains nothing out of it which eventually results in a waste of time. Most of the schools in Ras-Al-Khaimah allow proper coordination among students through various creative group discussions under thorough guidance of teachers.