We know that students learn best when they take an active role in the learning process.  This is not only common sense, it is a fundamental principle of teaching supported by ample research (see, for example, Tools for Teaching, by Barbara Gross Davis.  In this post I’m going to discuss one of the best techniques for getting students actively involved: study teams.

Study teams are a form of “collaborative learning.”  Teachers include collaborative learning or group learning in their teaching strategies because students working in small groups learn the material more deeply, retain more of what they learn, and generally have more fun learning.

A study team is a small group of students that work together to master the subject matter over a relatively long term, such as over an entire semester or even an entire school year.  Study teams are one of three basic types of group learning that Davis describes.  The other two types are:

informal learning groups, which are ad hoc groups formed in class to work on a brief task, such as solving a problem; and

formal learning groups, which are teams created to complete a specific group assignment such as group research paper or lab experiment.

All three types have their place, and you will probably use all three at different times.  However, a study team has some unique benefits that I want to highlight.

The unique benefits of study teams stem from their long-term stability.  These include:

Motivation – on a good team, members become dependent on each other, so the desire not to let teammates down becomes a big motivator;

Support System – the team becomes a support system for its members, as members turn to each other for help and encouragement;

Shared Learning Styles – members will bring different learning styles to the team, thus students benefit from exposure to new styles;

Peer teaching – on a good team, every member becomes a teacher to the other members, and students learn best by teaching other students;

Getting more done – by sharing the effort, study team members can cover more ground and have an easier time keeping pace with the class.

In upcoming posts, I’ll talk about how to form study teams and how to maximize their effectiveness by using FunnelBrain.