9 Best Practices For (Learning By) Teaching
Principles for enabling a culture of "each one, teach one" in your team.
Last week we explored the final layer of the Circle of Learningā Teaching. We saw:
Every time you teach, you learn.
How the Feynman technique works and why it helps us learn so well.
Teaching is leading.
If a company has a mindset of āeach one, teach oneā, it forges an unbeatable advantage over competitors.
Today I want to share some best practices for (learning by) teaching. Iām going to address these to āthe teacherā, but by now, I know you understand that to mean anyone and everyone in your organization. So consider sharing these principles throughout the company as a way to accelerate the learning taking place.
Every moment is a teachable moment
I shared the story of my time as a trainer for KPMG and how every time I stood in front of a classroom, I learned something new. This is true for your learners too. Encourage constant reflection (and therefore double-loop learning) by those around you.
How you show up matters
The pioneering child educator Haim Ginott said it best:
āIāve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. Itās my personal approach that creates the climate. Itās my daily mood that makes the weather.ā
Be authentic
The previous point doesnāt imply faking it. To create a climate of trust, you must share your vulnerabilities and mistakes freely.
Our culture at Curious Lion improved immeasurably when I started sharing my thought process for every major decision Iām wrestling with. I talk through my doubts, my confusion, and my mistakes during our weekly Office Hours. My team has responded beyond my wildest dreams by participating in those decisions and providing invaluable perspective.
Youāre in this together
Embrace the reality that youāre in this together, that you have something to learn too. This goes with the previous principle of sharing your vulnerabilities, but it goes further by encouraging humility. You achieve this by adopting a mindset of lifelong learning.
As Albert Einstein said:
āThe more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.ā
Put each individual learner first
Teaching is not about how much you know about something.
Teaching is about how much someone learns about that thing.
We all have different ways we prefer to learn. One turn of phrase for you can change your life AND be ho-hum for 95% of others. Some prefer video, others audio. Others prefer to read.
Adopt an ethos of No Learner Left Behind to meet people where they are and personalize the experience as much as you can.
The remaining principles build on this.
Connect to personal meaning
Friedrich Nietzsche famously wrote:
"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how."
People learn best when they are actively engaged in something meaningful to them. What question can you ask to get them to identify their own why or figure out their own personal meaning?
I cover more on personal meaning as one of the 3 Ps for Transformational Online Learning in this video.
Believe in others
At Curious Lion, we believe that collectively, your people have all the answers within them.
If you want to teach well, you need to believe that those youāre teaching are capable of greatness. You need to help them believe in themselves, see that their work matters, and that their minds are capable.
As Joseph Campbell said:
āThe job of an educator is to teach students to see vitality in themselves.ā
This connects to the motivational factor of competence from Self-Determination Theory (discussed in this letter).
Make it practical
What we teach needs to be turned into meaningful, real-world actions.
Germany provides a fascinating case study for how to do this. In America, < 5% of young people train as apprentices, mostly in construction. In Germany, itās closer to 60% āin fields as diverse as advanced manufacturing, IT, banking, and hospitality. They call it ādual trainingā in Europe.
From The Atlantic:
āTrainees split their days between classroom instruction at a vocational school and on-the-job time at a company. The theory they learn in class is reinforced by the practice at work. They also learn work habits and responsibility and, if all goes well, absorb the culture of the company. Trainees are paid for their time, including in class. The arrangement lasts for two to four years, depending on the sector. And both employer and employee generally hope it will lead to a permanent jobāfor employers, apprentices are a crucial talent pool.ā
Since this isnāt institutionalized in America, a good place to start is to encourage people to reflect on their current challenges at work and write a mini case study to bring to live learning sessions. This way the scenarios discussed in learning sessions are highly relevant and the conclusions and suggested actions will have a real-world impact.
Avoid giving answers
Instead, ask good questions.
A master of the craft, Krista Tippet sums it up beautifully:
"If Iāve learned nothing else, Iāve learned this: a question is a powerful thing, a mighty use of words. Questions elicit answers in their likeness. Answers mirror the questions they rise, or fall, to meet. So while a simple question can be precisely whatās needed to drive to the heart of the matter, itās hard to meet a simplistic question with anything but a simplistic answer. Itās hard to transcend a combative question. But itās hard to resist a generous question. We all have it in us to formulate questions that invite honesty, dignity, and revelation. There is something redemptive and life-giving about asking better questions."
There you have it, 9 principles for being an effective teacher:
Every moment is a teachable moment
How you show up matters
Be authentic
Youāre in this together
Put each individual learner first
Connect to personal meaning
Believe in others
Make it practical
Avoid giving answers
As Iāve been sharing these ideas on the Circle of Learning Iāve been getting a lot of questions like this:
āHow do I use this to accelerate the learning of my team?ā
Iāll answer this question next week.
See you then āļø