Lecturing (blah, blah, blah)

Telling others what to do is easy. Helping them do or know something is harder, It is ironic that the older students are, the more lecturing they get. Some of the best teachers are kindergarten teachers and the worst are those who, at the university level, just lecture. Good kindergarten teachers mold students so well the children know exactly what to do and when. They practice and practice.

When teaching older students, s often unconsciously believe that "if I said it, I taught it." The human brain rarely remembers after only one or two times. How long can you recall a new phone number, an interesting quote, what was on the news yesterday, or the name of the person you were just introduced to?

When a student has to explain something they remember it much better. That is why good questions help draw out the lessons the student learned. An example could be in a Sunday school class learning about the story of Moses and the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness. Instead of telling the class what we learn from the story, the teacher asks the class what they learn from the story. In a school setting the same can be done teaching world or U.S. history or geography. Best of all, the lesson is more likely to be remembered because the students explained it.