Working alone or in a group?

Personal work on your own is essential for certain tasks such as memorising, reviewing your notes or reading. On the other hand, it can be usefully supplemented by group work (3 or 4 people maximum), particularly to check your understanding or get you to quote for an oral exam. Sharing your skills and resources allows you to vary the way you learn, so you learn better. 

Take a little time to find friends with whom you could work. You don't need to have the same methods, nor do you need to make friends, but remember to agree on the minimum rules: willingness to work together, common goals and values.

The best way to learn is to learn from each other.

There are many advantages to working in a group, but it does require a certain amount of vigilance.

Benefits

• Greater efficiency linked to the division of labour.

• Savings made on book or magazine purchases.

• Control of the accuracy of notes and the enhancement of notes.

• Control of understanding of the concepts covered and the objectives of the course.

• Dealing with difficult questions on which we get stuck.

• Stimulation through repetitive encouragement, help to hold on to deadlines and combat procrastination.

• Possibility of having lessons recited to you.

• The opportunity to criticise each other, submitting your work to others allows you to test its consistency.

Sensitive points

• Find classmates with whom you have an affinity.

• Have shared goals and common interests.

• Have a shared willingness to work and collaborate, carry out the tasks set out in advance and fairly.

• Discipline yourself not to have the cafétéria as your only place of work, but also aim for library discussion rooms.

• Respect the jointly agreed work programme and timetable, organise working sessions and stick to them.

• No longer make the effort to réfléchir individually, to hang on à a difficultyé to resolve it.

• Have the illusion of understanding (or knowing), because there is almost always someone who gives an idea to get past the difficulty.