Here is some advice from students and faculty on running an effective group help session.
- Be prepared, knowledgeable, and excited about the material. Know what is happening in the course.
- Be patient, helpful, and approachable. Avoid any type of patronizing or condescending attitude.
- Address everyone’s questions in detail.
- Engage students by asking them to come up to the board.
- Explain points of difficulty.
- Provide study tips for exams/quizzes and lab reports.
- Review concepts that the professor went over too quickly in lecture.
- Meet with the professor when problems or questions arise.
- Use the students to your advantage if you are stuck. Have the students help you work-out the problem or have them work in groups.
- Try to get everyone involved in the session as soon as possible, especially the silent students.
- Don’t review topics in ways different from the ones in which professors presented them.
- Don’t let the pace of a session drag or move too slowly.
- Be aware that some individual students may try to monopolize the session for their needs. How to handle this: 1) Talk to the student on the side and make arrangements so that he or she understands that both of you need to work together to ensure that everyone’s questions can be answered. 2) Allow the student only a certain number of questions during each session. 3) Talk to the professor.