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Teach It!
by Barbara Mencer
You know the best way to learn something ... I mean really learn it?
Teach it.
We all want to be better at something. We're all striving for mastery in some area of our lives or another. So, how's the best way to go about it?
Well, there are a few ways. You can read about a subject or maybe watch videos. There's a lot you can learn from the library and the web alone.
You can take classes. You can be mentored by an expert. You can immerse yourself in the experience, like going to France to learn how to speak French or doing an apprenticeship in order to learn a trade.
Those are all perfectly fine. In fact, one of those methods or some combination is necessary if you want to learn the basics. But nothing, and I mean nothing, takes the place of having to teach other people the ins and outs of that subject if you want to develop a real, in-depth mastery of a subject.
Why? Because you have to reduce things to their essence while possessing a comprehensive understanding of the whole. It's only when you master a subject to that level that you're able get the lightbulb to come on in the minds of your students.
And it's just a more active process. Simply taking in information is a lot more passive and a lot easier than figuring out how to teach it to somebody else. There are a lot more neurons firing when you have that mental challenge and that level of personal responsibility.
Maybe that's why the Lancaster Method worked so beautifully. Huh? What's the Lancaster Method?
Well, in one room school houses where you often had a single teacher or monitor responsible for the education of a roomful of kids ranging widely in age, they would instruct the older kids who were then responsible for teaching the younger ones.
It's a system that evolved out of necessity. The resources just weren't there. But it not only worked, it was a spectacular success. The older kids not only really learned the material, they were also asked to take responsibility for the education of the younger ones. Imagine that.
The fact that generations of rural Americans learned this way ... and learned well ... is a testament to how powerful the connection is between teaching a subject and knowing it cold.
In my case, I just love learning about nutrition and the role proper nutrition plays in living a vibrant, joyful, healthy life. Over the years, I've read a ton about nutrition. I went to nutrition school, and became certified as a health coach, nutrition consultant, and holistic health practitioner. It's one of the key elements at the core of my Peak Performance Lifestyle coaching.
I've also had several articles published on the subject. So, yeah, while it's a vast subject area and can be very complicated, I knew quite a bit and far more than most.
But it upped my game several notches when I started speaking on the subject, teaching others what I've learned on topics such as how to kick sugar cravings, nutrition dos and don'ts for runners, food pairing for optimal energy, etc.
As I made that transition from student to teacher, I had the feeling of going from merely possessing knowledge to ownership of the information. I had to learn it at such a deep level that it's as if it's seeped into my bones.
So, the message is simple. If you can teach in your area of expertise, do it. If someone offers you the opportunity to educate others, take it.
The one benefitting the most may be you.
Warmest Regards,
Barbara
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