Teach to Learn by Anna

Teach to Learn by Anna - May 2016 Scholarship Essay

Throughout high school and college classes, I have found that the best way to study is to teach my material to someone else. To be able to teach the material, I must first establish a base knowledge through reading my study notes or listening to a lecture. Then, I find someone who knows little of my material – a family member, roommate, friend, or coworker – and I introduce my topic to them. Just bringing my study subject up in conversation can help create memory hooks and make the material more concrete in my mind.
This method is especially helpful for final exams, because final exams are often comprehensive. When I begin to teach someone a new concept, I cannot start in the middle of the material – I must start in the beginning, forcing me to review material that I did not realize I had forgotten. I teach them the basic ideas of the subject, and in doing so I solidify the knowledge that I already possess. They may be intrigued and ask questions that I can easily answer, building my confidence. Their questions may also create an opportunity to refresh myself on information I was unsure of.
I believe this method of study works best because I have seen the results in my own tests. In teaching the material to others, I become a better learner as well, because I must discern the best possible way to explain the information to my audience. Another reason this method works for me is because I do not want to seem incompetent when I am explaining it, so I pay better attention to my material the first time around. Even if I make mistakes in teaching, when I review my study materials again and find that I was incorrect, I make sure to review it in the correct way and I go back and tell my “student” the correction. I believe that studying through teaching is an excellent way to learn material and should be more widely used.