Group projects, sometimes group assignments, these were the most I had to do as relates to group learning in my previous educational pursuits. I have always been a self-starter so not working in groups has never been an issue with me. Don’t get me wrong, I like group work and always do my best to contribute and participate well mainly because I am one of those people that like things done a certain way and can be a bit flustered when things are done in ways I perceive to be outside my expectations.
Prior to coming to Lagos Business School, I had heard how important the group structure was to the overall success of an individual in the program and in fact a colleague who took it upon herself to encourage me into starting the program this year”(Bless her) said to me when I was complaining that I did not think I could go on with the demands of the program that “Your group is your lifeline” just leverage on your group, participate and I know you do not like to ask for help but this is not the place for that, ask for help”.
Fast forward to few weeks into the program and I have come to understand the true value of the group learning structure and how it can seem like the weight of the world is on your shoulders working alone and how much more difficult it is to cope with the rigours of the programme, study groups can help you build camaraderie with other students, act as a support system and a chance to have fun learning together throughout the programme.
If I were to summarise my take aways from the Group method of learning, it will be that learning in group is effective to
- Help you stay on course and keep you motivated.
- Pick you up when you are down, lost, and clueless. As a matter of fact, your group members unwittingly become your therapists.
- Provide you with more information and insight than you could have imagined as an individual, this is because more people are researching the same thing so there is access to more resources, better insight, and more personal experiences from a variety of backgrounds.
- New ways of thinking, like they say, “Two good heads are better than one”.
- Help you break down seemingly complex and overwhelming tasks into manageable and simpler tasks.
Perhaps one of the most important (depending on who you ask) advantage is that it helps to build the sense of belonging to the school and program. I started out a bit later than my fellow executives and I can in all honestly say that if it had taken one more week before I was assigned to a group, I would have successfully talked myself out of starting the program… again.
It’s easy to get discouraged and side-tracked with work and other personal commitments during a programme like this especially when you are not accountable to anyone, this is not like the time when your fees were paid by parents or guardians and you had a responsibility to ensure that the resources invested in you do not go to waste. Here you truly need the support to help you stay on track and keep each other motivated,
As the saying goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”, this could not be more accurate for the Executives at Lagos Business School.
