Adrian Trenholm

Teach what you learn: a virtuous cycle

April 7th, 2005

Rosa Say has very graciously linked to The Fabulous Baker Boy on 173 Drury Lane , a blog I guest author with Johnnie Moore , Freddie Daniels and Max Blumberg . I had drawn my own conclusions about the meaning of my story - that new skills, pride in one’s work, and ownership trump any amount of customer service training - but Rosa highlights another important lesson:

For me the story also perfectly illustrates how empowering new knowledge is for people, and how learning that is internalized just must be shared.

Of course! And what’s really exciting is that being a teacher also makes you a better learner . I find Stephen Covey a little preachy, but this line from really hits home:

I suggest you shift your own involvement in this material from the role of learner to that of teacher… read with the purpose in mind of sharing or discussing what you learn with someone else within 48 hours after you learn it.

I guarantee that if you approach the material in this way, you will not only better remember what you read, but your perspective will be expanded, your understanding deepened, and your motivation to apply the material increased.

Years ago, as a postgraduate student, I used to tutor small groups of undergrads. Often during tutorials, they would ask me questions to which I didn’t know the answer. A more experienced tutor had told me that the best technique for dealing with that situation is to say: Let’s explore that issue together… . At the time I thought what a terrible cop out: how would my students learn if I couldn’t teach them what they needed to know? I now realise that the explorations we had when I didn’t know the answer - and we all had to teach one another - were really my students’ most valuable learning experiences.

Blogging is fantastic for this: learn something new, add your own thoughts, pass it on. It’s a virtuous cycle.

Entry Filed under: Learning