The power of teaching others to solidify learning

Have you ever tried explaining a concept to someone else and found yourself understanding it better in the process? Maybe you were helping a friend with a tricky math problem, or walking a classmate through a historical timeline, and suddenly—click—the pieces fell into place for you, too.

I remember the first time this happened to me. I was in high school, struggling with the nuances of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The themes of ambition and guilt felt abstract, almost slippery. Then, my teacher paired me up with a classmate who was even more lost than I was. As I fumbled my way through explaining the motives of Lady Macbeth, something shifted. I wasn’t just reciting notes; I was building the narrative from the ground up. By the end of that conversation, the play wasn’t just words on a page—it was a story I understood deeply, because I had to make someone else understand it, too.

That experience wasn’t just a happy accident. It was a glimpse into one of the most powerful yet underutilized learning strategies out there: teaching others to solidify your own knowledge.

Why Teaching Others Works Wonders for Your Brain

At its core, learning isn’t just about absorbing information—it’s about processing, organizing, and retrieving it. When we learn passively—by rereading notes or highlighting textbooks—we often mistake familiarity for mastery. We think we know something because it looks right. But when we teach, we’re forced to engage actively.

Think about it: explaining an idea requires us to structure it logically, fill in gaps in our understanding, and anticipate questions. This process, known as the protégé effect, doesn’t just benefit the person being taught—it transforms the teacher’s comprehension. Studies in cognitive science have shown that teaching material to others enhances retention and clarity because it demands deeper cognitive engagement. You’re not just remembering; you’re reconstructing knowledge.

And it’s not just about academic success. This approach builds confidence, reinforces connections between ideas, and turns learning from a solitary task into a collaborative, dynamic process.

How to Make "Learning by Teaching" Work for You

You don’t need a classroom or a formal setting to harness this power. Some of the most effective studying happens in casual, low-pressure environments. Here are a few ways to integrate teaching into your routine:

• Explain concepts out loud, even if it’s to an empty room (or your pet). Verbalizing forces clarity.
• Form study groups where each member teaches a portion of the material.
• Use digital tools like QuizSmart to create quizzes for friends—this lets you test both your knowledge and theirs.

Tools like QuizSmart are especially useful because they allow you to design questions that probe understanding, not just recall. Crafting a good quiz question means you have to think critically about what’s important—and what’s容易 misunderstood.

I once worked with a student named Maya who was preparing for her biology finals. She was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information. Instead of reviewing alone, she started hosting weekly sessions with two friends where each would teach a chapter. Maya later told me that teaching the photosynthesis unit—a topic she’d always found confusing—was what finally made it stick. She had to break it down step by step, and in doing so, she mastered it.

Real-World Application: Stories from the Classroom and Beyond

This principle isn’t limited to students. Educators have long known that the best way to deepen their own understanding of a subject is to teach it. I spoke with David, a high school physics teacher, who told me that even after a decade in the classroom, he still discovers new insights when preparing lessons for his students. “You think you know Newton’s laws,” he said, “until you have to make them make sense to a 16-year-old who’s more interested in their phone. That’s when you really learn.”

In the workplace, too, this approach fosters growth. At a tech company I collaborated with, new hires are encouraged to present what they’ve learned to their teams within their first month. It’s not about testing them—it’s about cementing their training. The act of teaching accelerates their integration and confidence.

Even outside formal settings, this works. Consider language learning: chatting with a native speaker forces you to teach yourself grammar and vocabulary on the fly. You’re both student and teacher in that moment.

Bringing It All Together

Learning isn’t a one-way street. It’s a dialogue—with the material, with others, and with yourself. When you teach, you create a feedback loop that highlights what you know and, just as importantly, what you don’t. That awareness is where real growth happens.

So, whether you’re a student preparing for exams, a teacher designing a lesson, or someone pursuing a new skill, try shifting your mindset from “How do I learn this?” to “How would I teach this?” You might be surprised by how much clarity follows.

“While we teach, we learn,” said the Roman philosopher Seneca. It’s as true today as it was two thousand years ago.

Ready to give it a try? Grab a friend, open QuizSmart, or just start talking through that concept you’ve been wrestling with. Teach it—and watch your own understanding grow.