At our kickoff potluck on April 18, 1999, we held a very productive question and answer session. As many of you are probably asking the same sorts of questions, I have posted here a brief summary of the topics addressed.
First of all, as Director of StudyGrrls, I am not a dictator -- just a facilitator. If you or your group find a way to study that suits your needs better than those I have outlined here, please ignore me! StudyGrrls was created to help you learn, and you are the only one who can determine the best way for you. Please do not be concerned with fitting a mold or being a textbook example of a StudyGrrls group. Do what works for you!
Many people were concerned with doing things the "right" way. And while only you can determine what is the "right" way for your situation, I can give you some guidance on what I have seen work or not work.
Most of the issues addressed at the potluck concerned smallgroup structure. This includes meeting frequency, subject matter, study partners, mentor/apprenticeships, guest experts, group cohesion, new members, and study practices.
Many groups meet at different frequencies, varying from weekly to biweekly to monthly. As a perpetual student and occasional instructor, I would recommend a weekly approach as optimum. Learning takes place more quickly and smoothly when it is done frequently in small doses, as opposed to covering a lot of information between infrequent review sessions. However, sometimes scheduling will preclude that approach; do what works for you.
Also, a number of groups were uncomfortable with the "Level" designation and preferred to identify themselves by subject matter. On this point let me state that "Level" does not mean that you need to study every subject in that skill level, or be stuck with only one "maintstream" subject. It is simply used as a tool for me to direct new grrls to the correct group. If you are Level Two, you do not necessarily need to be studying JavaScript -- but you do need to be at an equivalent skill level.
For that matter, you need not feel confined to subjects like "Intermediate JavaScript" or "Tables and Frames." Feel free to explore theory, eclectic collections of skills, esoteric subjects, or transcendental meditation on the web. Anything that interests you is fine with me! Just let me know what you're studying so that I can direct future grrls to the right group.
In many groups, people at the same skill level (or with compatible schedules) have different interests. That's fine too. If you can find one other person in your group who is interested in studying what you are interested in -- or is willing to trade skills with you -- then by all means adopt a partner. In this way one small group might be covering three or four different subjects. Then the small group meetings could become a combination of Show And Tell and troubleshooting questions.
Likewise, if a group formed by geographic area, rather than skill level, should have members with diverse levels of experience, a mentor/apprenticeship arrangement might be beneficial. After all, you never really learn something until you teach it! Some grrls are even volunteering to be "guest experts" for a day at a group which is just learning things that they already have experience with. This is great! Feel free to use the Library bulletin board to offer or request services.
And what if a group starts off at the same level, and then finishes their curriculum for that level? Again, feel free to do what works! If you start out at Level One with basic HTML and eventually master it, then progress to JavaScript and advanced design principles, you might want to consider re-classifying yourselves as Level Two.
As StudyGrrls is always open to new members, you will have to determine whether your group would like to add to its population, or whether you want to continue with only the same members. This can produce a great deal of group cohesion, as members watch each other grow. However, schedules will always change, interest will wax and wane, and subject matter will revise itself. Since any grrl is welcome to join any group (at the moment) you might find yourself in two or three different groups. You will need to discuss these issues within your groups in order to determine what you feel most comfortable with.
Quite honestly, this is all up to the group and the leader. Just let me know what you decide, so that I can keep my records accurate.
