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Become a Leader

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Study Group Leaders

play a critical role in the Study Group Program. Leaders serve as knowledgeable facilitators who engage study group members with each other to promote active learning.

Leaders, utilizing suggestions from study groups members, set the group agenda and make sure group members stay on task. Leaders provide supplemental materials, including worksheets, problem sets, practice exams, old exams, and review sheets that help members master the course material. Study group leaders also utilize collaborative learning techniques and activities that encourages members to teach and learn from each other.

Students interested in becoming a Study Group Leader must have taken the course for which they wish to lead a group. They are required to have earned an A or high B in the course and they must have taken the course at the University of Michigan. AP credit or transfer credit cannot substitute for taking the course successfully at UM.

Applicants should also have exceptional communication skills. Facilitating a small group requires that a leader avoids standing or sitting near the board or answering questions directly. Study group leaders instead must turn questions back to study group members, direct them to relevant passages in the text, and ask follow-up questions that help guide students toward learning and discovery. Study group leaders must recognize the importance and value of having members teach other members, and recognize that learning and finding the right answer are often not the same.

Study Group Leaders utilize their knowledge of the course material to ask good questions, prepare supplemental materials, and draw out the knowledge of members. They encourage members to seek out their GSI or faculty instructor when they are unable to reach consensus on an answer or understanding of a concept. Leaders also recognize the importance of building a strong sense of community, where all members feel comfortable taking intellectual risks, making mistakes, and having fun while learning.

If you believe that you have the knowledge of the course content and the communication skills to become a study group leader, you can complete a leader application here.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Fall 2008 Leader Positions

If you are interested in becoming a study group leader for the Fall 2008 terms, you should read the FAQs to be sure you meet the leader qualifications and understand the role of a Study Group Leader.  Then complete a leader application.  We will contact you if you are selected for an interview.