Group Discussion for study - Importance

Group discussion on a study topic plays a vital role in understanding the topic. Discussing a topic with friends or classmates helps in learning the topic with perfection. Group discussion involves sharing of learning by students which equally benefits all the students. Every student has a different approach to learn things. Different students may adopt different methods of learning. Each method has its pros and cons. Hence, when many students discuss a topic which has already been studied by them; it helps them to come across the learning gained by various methods of study.

Group discussion has its ethics such that the students need to be cordial and polite during the discussion so that the discussion can lead to productive exchange of knowledge as well as to healthy criticism and benefit the students. The important benefits of group discussion are as follows:

  It helps in learning more – It increases your understanding of a subject or lesson

Group discussion opens avenues for you to learn more. You come across new facts about the topic. Sometimes you might have skipped learning some important aspects of a topic which other students may have grasped while studying the same topic. When you discuss it with friends, you also learn all these areas which you have omitted during your study, but other students have covered them. Sometimes, you may face some difficulties in learning a topic, when you discuss it with other students; it becomes easier for you to understand the topic with clarity.

  It helps in generating more ideas about a topic

Group discussion involves an exchange of ideas where important things are learnt from each other. Learning only from textbooks is not always enough. You may also need to acquire learning from other sources to understand a topic fully. Different sources of learning are available to different students. Hence, during group discussions, the students come across new ideas gained from different sources by the students. When many minds brainstorm on a topic, it helps them generate new ideas; which are necessary for conceptual learning of a subject.

A topic can have many aspects. However, simply reading your coursebook may not enable you to explore all the aspects of the topics. Group discussion leads to generate many thought-provoking questions regarding the topic. In this way, it helps students understand what are the other aspects of the topic which should be learnt. When many students discuss a topic, they also devise answers to those thought-provoking questions. This is how it also helps students cover all aspects of the topic and prepare them for their exams.

  It lets you know about your mistakes and weaknesses

Students have some weaknesses in their academics. It is quite natural because no one is perfect. Group discussion provides you with an opportunity to improve yourself because it helps you identify your mistakes and weaknesses. While discussing topics with other students, you come to know about your weak areas in your academics which need to be improved. Participating in group discussion points out these areas as well as give you guidelines to improve these areas. Once you realize your weak areas, you focus on them to improve yourself.

  It helps you build confidence in yourself

Students should have confidence in themselves as well as in their learning to perform well in their academics. This confidence comes in students when they are confident about their learning. When you study a topic, you may bear some uncertainties or ambiguities in your mind about the topic. When you discuss it with others, it helps you eliminate the ambiguities that you have in your mind about the topic. Listening to supporting and appreciating remarks from others in group discussions helps you build confidence in your learning. Similarly, differing ideas help you rectify your learning. Apart from confidence in your learning, it also helps you develop confidence as a person to prove yourself to be correct in your stance.

  It prepares you for Oral Test by enhancing your speaking skills

Oral tests and interviews are generally part of most academic programs. However, some students may not perform well in these types of tests if they do not have good speaking skills. To perform well in oral exams, you should know how to talk and express your ideas about a topic in front of an examiner. Participating in group discussions helps you improve your speaking skills and make you talk confidently in front of others while sharing your ideas about a subject.

  It enhances your Listening Skills

There are many exams that assess the listening skills of students. For instance, the IELTS exam involves assessing the listening skills of students where the students have to listen to several audio recordings and answer the questions correctly. A student must have good listening skills to be able to note important points of the message of the speaker correctly for scoring well in such exams. Group discussion provides students with an opportunity to listen to the ideas of others carefully and to understand them. It serves as a practice for enhancing the listening skills of a student.

  It polishes your study skills and exam preparation skills

As mentioned earlier, students have different approaches towards learning and thus, they adopt different methods of study. In group discussions, the students also discuss about their approaches to learning and making preparation for the exam. When students exchange views about their experiences of different styles of learning, this provides students with an opportunity to know the best style of learning. In this way, the students inspire one another to adopt the best study skills.

  It helps students develop their interest in their studies

Group discussion helps students develop their interest in their studies. When students have to prepare themselves for a discussion, they take their studies seriously because they know they have to express their views on the topic in a good way. Similarly, the group discussion is an enjoyable activity where the students chat with one another in a friendly way and learn things in an informal manner. It makes learning an enjoyable activity for the students.

  FINAL WORDS

Group discussions are sometimes part of an academic program where students are required to prepare different topics for discussion. However, even if this is not a compulsory part of an academic program, the study should still arrange group discussions with their friends or classmates. You can do this by asking your classmates to make a study-group and to select a topic for discussion at least once or twice a week. Every student participating in the discussion should prepare the topic before the group discussion. Every student should be given an opportunity to express their views on the topic. During the discussion or at the end of the discussion, every student may raise certain questions regarding the topic and the other students should try to answer these questions. You can also take the help of your teacher to arrange such group discussion for you and your classmates.