Study groups can be intimidating for someone who is struggling with a class. Nobody wants to feel like they’re a poor student. The trick is finding the right group of people to collaborate with. If you do that you don’t have to be afraid of study groups. Try to find a mix of people who are doing well and who are struggling with the subject. In that way, you’ll actually find that even the smartest person in the group can learn something from a struggling student’s questions.
Part of the key to collaborative learning is to get everyone to contribute to the assignment. Study groups work the same way. If a struggling student asks a question, and the rest of the group goes about answering it, then everyone is learning. The good students become better acquainted with the subject, and the slower students get an explanation from their peers that they may grasp better than if it came from the teacher.
A true collaborative learning situation would include one student who is very confident in the subject. That person would lead the group, but not give all the answers. The rest of the students could work that out together. It’s alright to say you don’t understand and ask the study group to help you. Not everyone is going to be the best in everything. There may be subjects that you are very confident in, and you can take your turn as a group leader. The biggest advantage to a study group is that you are learning a life skill. The world is all about people collaborating to solve problems and succeed as a society, as well as individuals. Whether you realize it or not, your participation is good for your future. Therefore, don’t struggle alone. Allow the group to help you.