Learning Strategies

Teach to Learn

Teaching is an essential component in the Learning Model because it invites the Spirit. It creates a culture of learning and teaching in our families and classes. (It’s also an excellent active learning technique!) Teaching is not merely reciting what you have learned. You have to think about how to effectively teach so that others can learn as well. In Teaching in the Savior’s Way, it states “A true gospel teacher is not satisfied when learners simply listen to what he or she has to say. Learning the gospel is an act of faith and effort. When you prepare to teach, instead of thinking, “What will I do to teach?” ask yourself, “What will my class members need from me to learn effectively? How will I help them discover the gospel for themselves? How will I inspire them to act?” These principles are not meant just for gospel teaching, they are equally applicable to other topics.

When you learn with the mindset that you will be teaching others about your studies, you can focus more effectively on the content of your studies because you need to think about how you can explain it to someone else. This process helps you think about the learning process and how to ask good questions. It also helps you discover areas of misunderstanding in your learning and how to learn that more effectively in order to teach others.