One Truth + One Question

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Consider this simple truth:

“The most important things can’t be taught, they must be learned. […] You can learn the principles but you can’t learn the patience. You can copy the answer but not the understanding and confidence. These you need to learn on your own.”

from The Simple Principles of Good Management – Farnam Street

Which leads to this simple question:

If “the most important things can’t be taught, they must be learned,” then why is school organized around teaching and not learning?

Start by looking at your assessments. Are you asking students to show what they’ve been taught, or to share what they have learned?

Another trick: observe how much time teachers talk vs. the time students are talking and doing.

It takes a healthy sense of humility to know the limits of what you can teach. The only way students can go beyond that limit is when you let them learn.

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