You Master What You Teach

Let’s face it. You’re the expert in your field. You know your subject matter inside out. Whether you’ve taught for a number of years or just beginning, how many times will you present the same material? Many of you could present the information in your sleep and sometimes probably feel like you do.

How did you become the master of your subject? By teaching it to someone else, over and over again, of course. If you want your students to master what they’ve learned from you, they need to do the same. Let them practice teaching it to someone else.

Sharon Bowman, M.A. has a terrific tip you might like to try:

Terrific Teachers

Have your students pick a partner and ask them to teach the other person one skill they just learned. One person explains the skill and demonstrates it, and has the other partner practice it. Then they reverse roles and repeat the process with another skill.

Give it a try. Start a lab session or break up a lengthy lab session after a break with this tip. You’re the expert, always monitor progress and challenge yourself to catch your students doing something right. You may be surprised how fast your students “master what you teach!”

References

Presenting With Pizzazz: Terrific Tips for Topnotch Trainers, by Sharon L. Bowman, M.A. - Bowperson Publishing, Forth Printing June 2002.

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