Ready? Teach!

I talk about teaching a lot, and I realize the majority of my readers don't teach.  But that doesn't mean some of the benefits of teaching can't be realized.

Imagine being told that you have to teach a class tomorrow.  Your students will all be of less experience than you, and you'll be teaching fundamentals from an appropriate level (i.e., stuff you know).

Could you do it?

I realize public speaking or being an authority is difficult for some people.  I also realize that some people may never want to teach; it's not in their blood.  But let's pretend those aren't factors for this exercise.

Have you been paying attention to not just what your instructors teach, but how they teach?  Could you take what they've been telling you and pass it on for a single session, or a longer class?  Have you ever thought about what things you didn't get during that level of instruction and how you would make things clearer?

The act of teaching a skill you know makes you better at it.  The process forces you to think about that skill in new ways, so that other people can understand how to do it.  Yes, some people are better at it than others, some people teach only one way and can't adapt, sure.  We all have our strengths and weaknesses - but the key is that you are better at what you do if you think about how you would teach it.

So...are you ready yet?  :)