Individual learning vs. group learning
Studying is not just reading the content of the book. It involves thorough understanding of the topic, which of course involves good concentration and involvement. This can be achieved either by studying alone or in groups. There are both advantages and disadvantages in both these ways. I would first like to outline some of these pros and cons before putting forth my choice of study.
Let me first consider group-study No two fingers of a hand are same. Similarly no two individuals can think the same way. This is the key factor in group-study It is both advantageous as well as disadvantageous. It is advantageous because difference in people’s thinking gives rise to many new solutions to the same issue. It is disadvantageous because all the members of the group cannot learn things at the same pace. Some members learn very fast and others learn very slow. So the fast learner may feel bored to repeat the same topic again and again. The slow learner may develop inferiority complex and feel embarrassed to ask for repetition everyday. The other disadvantage of group-study that I would like to point out is gossip. Even if one member of the group is not in the mood to study, the whole group will be spoiled. He/she will start commenting about a movie or a film star or some unrelated topic and will lead to a big, unwanted discussion consuming all the precious time. Group-study will lead to competition, i.e., each member of the group will try to excel other members. As long as this competition is healthy, it is good for everybody, otherwise it can lead to ego problems which is pretty bad. Punctuality is also another problem in group-study, ie., even if you arrive first, you cannot start studying. You have to wait for everybody else to arrive. While waiting, you and your one friend may start gossiping, and before you know it, that gossip will be the topic of discussion for that day.
Now let us consider self-study. The main advantage of self-study is that you can study in your own pace. You don’t have to wait for anybody else. You can start studying as and when you are ready. In a group study, you can just think in one angle because there are other members in the group who would give an other view. But that is not the case in self-study. Here you should only think in all different possible views regarding one topic, and in order to support that view you would have to read and refer a lot of different books. So self-study improves your thinking and researching ability. I think concentration is one thing which can be distracted even if you are not in a group. In a group-study gossiping may be one kind of distraction. This kind of distraction is not found in self-study. On the other hand, we can sometimes start day-dreaming and before we know it we would have spent a lot of time thinking and dreaming about some irrelevant topic. But I think the chances of distraction is more in group-study, than in self-study.
Now, for my opinion on the subject. I, personally, would prefer to read alone and not in a group. I believe in doing everything myself. So if I am told to address an issue, I like to think in various different angles, read a lot of books and then come to a conclusion. Another reason why I prefer to read alone is, I think group-study, by itself is not enough. Let me explain what I mean by this. Let us say, the topic of discussion is “Mahatma Gandhi’s murder”. Group-study involves discussion and exchange of ideas about this topic. But if I have to talk something about Gandhiji’s murder, first of all I myself should study about that topic and be thorough with what I have to discuss. So I think group-study is dependent on self-study. Well, the bottom-line is, if given a choice, I would prefer to study alone rather than in a group.
