Teaching to Learn

  

Math has never been my best subject. I always felt like I understood the concepts we were learning, but when I actually did the problems I always made simple mistakes. However, one time in fifth grade, my teacher gave me a new way of looking at the equations. Instead of learning the lesson and taking a quiz on it, we were told to make a video explaining the concept as though we were the teacher. Somehow, the act of talking through the problems made them easier for me to understand.

I remember making the video and being shocked at how in depth I was able to go about math. By explaining the concept to others, I began to see all the small pieces that made up the big topic. When I thought through the math in my head I never focused on the details, only the big picture. Yet when explaining things to others, the details became necessary for them to be able to understand what I was trying to say. Suddenly, the things my brain tended to skip over were the most important part of what I was trying to teach. 

Math isn’t the only time this method can be used though. Talking through anything can make it easier to understand and cope with. Especially when it comes to emotions. It’s hard to fully understand what we’re feeling sometimes because as humans we often feel so much all the time. By talking though exactly what we’re experiencing it allows us to take a picture step back and focus on the details instead of the overwhelming feelings.