The power of teaching others to solidify learning

Remember that time you spent hours studying for an exam, feeling like you’d mastered the material, only to blank out when you saw the test questions? Or maybe you’ve taught a concept you thought you understood perfectly, only to have a student ask a question that made you realize there were gaps in your own understanding.

I’ll never forget my college physics class. I’d re-read chapters, highlighted diligently, and felt reasonably confident about thermodynamics. Then my roommate—an English major—asked me to explain entropy over coffee. As I stumbled through a jumbled explanation involving disorder and energy dispersal, her confused expression told me everything: I didn’t actually understand it as well as I thought. That awkward coffee chat taught me more about learning than any lecture ever had.

This experience reveals one of education’s best-kept secrets: teaching others might be the most powerful learning strategy we rarely intentionally use. Whether you’re a student trying to master organic chemistry or an educator designing more effective lessons, the act of explaining concepts to others transforms passive knowledge into true understanding.

Why Does Explaining Make Learning Stick?

Think about the difference between recognizing a face and describing that face to a police sketch artist. Recognition is relatively easy—you know your friend when you see them. But describing their exact eye shape, nose proportion, and chin structure requires a completely different level of awareness. The same principle applies to learning.

When we study passively—rereading, highlighting, listening—we often mistake familiarity for mastery. The material feels comfortable because we’ve encountered it before. But when we prepare to teach, something magical happens. We start asking ourselves questions we might not have considered: “Why does this work this way?” “How would I explain this to someone who’s never encountered it?” “What’s the simplest way to break this down?”

This mental shift moves us from passive consumption to active construction of knowledge. Researchers call this the protégé effect—the phenomenon where we learn better when we expect to teach others. Studies consistently show that students who learn with the expectation of teaching the material perform better on comprehension tests than those learning only for themselves.

One middle school science teacher I know, Maria, puts this into practice through “student expert” roles. When her class studies ecosystems, each student becomes the expert on one specific aspect—like keystone species or nutrient cycling—and knows they’ll be responsible for teaching their section to small groups. “The quality of their questions changes immediately,” she told me. “They stop asking ‘what’s on the test’ and start asking ‘how does this actually work?’”

From Theory to Classroom: Making Teaching Accessible

You might be thinking, “I’m not a teacher—how can I incorporate this into my routine?” The beautiful part is that you don’t need a classroom or formal title to benefit from this approach. Effective teaching for learning can happen in many informal ways.

Consider study groups, where each member prepares to explain a different concept. Or the simple act of explaining what you’re learning to a friend or family member outside your field. Even pretending to teach to an empty room forces you to organize your thoughts coherently.

I’ve seen this work brilliantly with my friend’s daughter, Sarah, who struggled with Spanish verb conjugations. Her breakthrough came when she started “teaching” her stuffed animals each evening. As she arranged her furry students and explained why “yo hablo” differed from “él habla,” the patterns suddenly clicked in ways they never had through flashcards alone.

Digital tools can also create low-stakes teaching opportunities. Platforms like QuizSmart let students create and share quizzes with classmates—the process of designing good questions and explanations reinforces their own understanding while helping peers. One college student told me, “Making quiz questions about historical events for my study group forced me to think about what was truly important and how different concepts connected.”

The Ripple Effects Beyond Memory

While improved retention might be the most immediate benefit, the advantages of learning-through-teaching extend much further. When we regularly explain concepts to others, we develop better communication skills, increased confidence, and perhaps most importantly, a deeper curiosity about our subjects.

A chemistry professor at a local university redesigned his office hours to become “student teaching sessions.” Instead of directly answering questions, he asks students to teach him what they do understand about the problem. “Often, halfway through their explanation, they have the ‘aha’ moment themselves,” he shared. “But even when they don’t, I can see exactly where their understanding fractures, which lets me give much more targeted guidance.”

This approach also builds the kind of conceptual flexibility that leads to true academic success. When you can explain the same statistical concept to a math major, a psychology student, and your curious grandmother, you’ve moved beyond memorization to genuine mastery.

Your Turn to Teach

So how can you start harnessing this powerful approach today?

If you’re a student, your next study session could include preparing to explain key concepts to your study group. Or try the “empty classroom” method—pretend you’re lecturing on the material and notice where you hesitate or struggle. Those are the areas needing more work.

Educators might consider building peer teaching into lesson plans. It doesn’t need to be elaborate—even five-minute “turn and teach” sessions where students explain concepts to partners can yield significant benefits. One high school history teacher has students create brief video explanations of key concepts using their smartphones. “The process of scripting and recording consolidates their learning in ways traditional homework doesn’t,” she observed.

The beautiful truth is this: In helping others understand, we often find we finally understand ourselves.

Whether you’re preparing for finals, designing a curriculum, or simply pursuing lifelong learning, remember that knowledge grows when shared. So find someone to teach today—even if that someone is your patient cat or your curious reflection. Your understanding will deepen in ways that surprise you, turning fragile familiarity into unshakable mastery.

What concept will you teach someone this week?