When an older child teaches a younger brother or sister, the older one learns too. To explain something, you have to pull it from memory, put it in order, and answer questions you didn't expect.
Key idea
Teaching works best from memory: explain it with the book closed, then check what you left out.
- Explain it in your own words, with no notes.
- Use a picture or an example.
- Let the learner ask questions; a question you can't answer shows a gap.
- Open the book together and check.
Worked example: Worked example
Eli explains the water cycle to his sister and gets stuck on why clouds form. What has he found?
- Teaching showed a gap in his understanding.
- That gap is where to study next.
Answer: A gap to review: how water vapor condenses into clouds.
Why it works
Teaching combines retrieval (pulling it out), meaning (explaining why), and a check (questions). That is three good habits in one.
Common mistake
Reading the lesson aloud to someone and calling it teaching. Without recall, it is rereading.