Making an effort to explain a topic leads to improved understanding.
This is due to the fact that in order to explain something, we must first elaborate on it, and in order to elaborate, we must rephrase the knowledge in our own terms and relate it to other ideas.
The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks. Mortimer Adler
What does this mean for learning?
This can be used purposefully in learning.
When learning something, we could pretend that we might need to explain it to someone or create such a situation if we can. We would then approach the subject differently as a result of that.
We'll ask better questions and make more connections. In turn, this will deepen our understanding.
The process of explaining also involves recall, which is a crucial element in enhancing learning retention.
Additionally, it will show us where our knowledge is lacking, pointing us in the right direction for further study.
How do we incorporate this in learning design?
We can facilitate a quiz with essay-style questions where we offer learners open-ended questions rather than questions with clear-cut right or wrong answers so that they would gain the most from explaining a topic.
Keep in mind that for such a test to be effective, it should be an ungraded one where learners can attempt to explain without worrying about facing consequences.
We can encourage the learners to participate in a discussion where they clarify a topic or the main takeaways, whether it be online or in a physical classroom. Asking the learners to list or shout out Two Things in response to a prompt is an intriguing twist on this.
Further, Kialo is an interesting tool to engage learners in a debate which would need them to explain their stand in response to a specific prompt.
We can also encourage the learners to record videos of themselves discussing the topic and show them to the entire class. Tools like Padlet can help us with this.
Giving learners the time and space to explain the topic to themselves is another option. To help in the explanation, this can entail creating a concept map or even producing a summary report.
We can even pair or combine learners in groups in a larger collaborative atmosphere with the intention of clearing concepts for each other.
To wrap up
The approach of explaining a topic increases comprehension and enhances our learning. Additionally, because it requires recall, it slows down the forgetting curve. And because we discover gaps or develop additional connections with related topics as we explain, we end up improving our understanding of the subject.
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