A senior colleague mentioned to me recently that he had spent the early part of his career overcoming the idea that “teaching is telling,” a common and pernicious misconception, especially among new teachers. The phrase refers to the belief that the key to effective teaching is explaining a concept in just the right way. In other words, there exists some way to explain a concept that is so potently clear and accessible that students will always comprehend and learn it. The goal of the teacher is to find that explanation, tell it to students, and project it on a slide. After that, learning becomes the student’s responsibility. If the students don’t understand, then the teacher just needs to repeat the explanation until they do. The research is clear, however, that the existence of any such magical explanation is a myth. Effective teaching is much more than telling.
