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Collaborative learning groups

Most of our learning as doctors happens through individual study. Some takes place with other people, for example at lectures and seminars, but often this is not very different from solitary learning. In effect, one person stands at the front of a room, imparting facts or opinions, while everyone else remains relatively passive. Very few doctors spend time in collaborative learning groups, where everyone examines their own work together and in depth. This is paradoxical, since such groups are probably one of the most effective ways of developing as a professional.

Collaborative learning groups come under many different names, including peer supervision1, action learning sets2 and ‘Balint groups’3, but they all share more or less the same form. A group meets regularly, perhaps every month or six weeks. Everyone sits in a circle, either around a table or just facing each other. In any session, a few individuals have an opportunity to present an extended account of a specific dilemma or challenge they are facing in their professional work – a clinical case, perhaps, or a problem with a colleague. The discussion is then opened up to everyone else. Often, there is a trained facilitator, who makes sure that the group stays focussed on its task, and that everyone follows the ground rules, such as not interrupting, and not trying to dominate the …