Teach to Learn...

A concept you may have heard before, but if you're anything like me, you've yet to put into practice. For various reasons we always manage to justify avoiding teaching others as we learn, despite knowing logically how impactful it may be.

Imposter syndrome has us asking ourselves, "Who am I to teach others about Javascript or the beauty of a eloquently written sentence in a story?"

The infinite information available to anyone with internet access has us asking ourselves, "What can I offer that isn't already polished and published by someone else?"

Let's assess the meta-benefits of teaching others as we learn, ignore the reasons NOT to do it, and maybe...just maybe, at the end of this article you will join me in the journey of teaching as you learn.

The case for teaching...

Not only does teaching to learn justify itself for the sake of learning but also, and perhaps even moreso, it is a subtle way to enact action. By definition you're going to have to first learn what you're going to teach, which means studying, practicing, and diving in.

This is similar to signing your kids up for martial arts because you secretly want them to build a sense of self-confidence, discipline, calmness, and have a healthy outlet for that never-ending energy they possess. The acquired skill of self-defense is almost an afterthought.

Take a minute to think about something in your life that you've haphazardly pursued and you know deep down, if you were to endeavor to teach others, you'd inevitably level-up.  

For me, it's writing.

Both words and {code}.

The idea of expressing my thoughts, sharing where my curiosities lead me, the wisdoms of ancient philosophies, the discoveries that fuel my techno-optimism, and other esoteric stuff that makes life so endlessly fascinating is something I find profoundly compelling. To be able to do it so easily with minimal tech, money, and time makes me feeling nothing less than spoiled. To not capitalize on this opportunity would be wasteful at best.

Coding just the same. Beyond the endless amount of free information and tutorials (this can paradoxically be crippling but that's a topic for a later date), the community is extremely supportive and welcoming. The world of web3 seems to have endless possibilities and in my naïve understanding solve for a lot of the modern issues that plague our societies as they stand.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the only thing more powerful and impactful than the web3 community is the potential of the underlying tech itself.

Going to get into all of that in coming days but for today, let's focus on this concept of teaching to learn.

There are a few specific hidden benefits that I'd like to identify to further bolster the case for why you should make the commitment.

Learning how to learn. How does your roadmap look? Do others think it makes sense?

First off, if you haven't seen one of the best MOOC ever created...here.

Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects

You're welcome !

Teaching to learn makes you assess the path forward, the sources and content you've chosen to consume, and prepare adequately. You know you don't want to share how you floundered about for 3 weeks and realized you learned from a tutorial and workshop written by someone who has no idea about best practices, the fundamentals, lacks personal experience to share, etc...

(Side note: One could argue that sharing mini "failures" like this would still be useful because it's one less pitfall someone may run into thanks to you. The good and the bad.)

So take the time to sharpen your axe before you take your first swing. If you're going to attempt to teach others as you go, the least you can do, is strive to optimize that quality of content you consume.

Quick side note - I'd argue the ability to judge and qualify the content you digest is becoming one of the most important meta-skills of modern times. Try to be mindful and critical of all content you expose yourself to. It's growing more and more difficult as the internet allows you to find people who have all the credentials and offer that sweet, sweet hit of confirmation bias you're craving (consciously or not). Do better, though. Assess the content independent of whether it agrees with your viewpoints, opinions, beliefs, and models. More important than confirmation bias is allowing yourself the opportunity to undergo a paradigm shift. As we do in science, try to welcome the idea of having your views adjusted to a more accurate representation of reality. This is the goal - not being right.

Consistency forced via public accountability. Make yourself feel obligated to show up because others are opting in to share your experience with you.

Showing up to teach others as you learn means finding students, mentors, your tribe, communities of like-minded people, and those who find your approach and perspective to be valuable.

A useful byproduct?

Accountability.

What's the byproduct of accountability? Consistency. Another superpower if you can manage to develop it enough.

Showing up everyday for your own benefit knowing it's a non-negotiable pre-requisite to the progress and end-goal is one thing. Showing up everyday because other's are expecting you to, depending on you, and engaging with you with both questions and support...is a whole different level.

Austin Kleon has an awesome book called Show Your Work! and the idea is that your comfortable exposing your vulnerabilities, process and not just finished product, the trials and tribulations, and giving others a reason to relate and share in your journey. This is an awesome book to reinforce the notion that you should start teaching as you learn. People sometimes just want to find another explorer who's but a step ahead of them on the journey, who isn't a seasoned veteran, or has some unfathomable achievements to their name. They want relatable. They want to see what's just around the corner. Be that for them.

Expose your blind spots and strive for deep knowledge.

The very first thing you'll notice as you try to teach others is that you need to do a quick look-up, a quick Google search, reference back to a note as to what this term means or that algo does...this is a blind spot.

Teaching others is one of the most efficient ways to expose these blind spots because you're literally unable to explain them to others. Mentally you were relying on context and just skipping over them with the assumption that they wouldn't hold you back in moving forward. That's insufficient when it comes to teaching others.

As you relinquish these blind spots something magical waits on the other side. Let's call this deep knowledge.

If you haven't heard of Richard Feynman...well first crawl out from from under that rock, it's nice out here.

Aside from thinking and operating in a different plane from us mere mortals, he shared with us one of the greatest gifts, and that is a method and model to gauge your understanding of any given material.

The Feynman technique is a means by which you use simple and concise language to distil complex topics and theories in such a way that anyone would be able to grasp the core concept.

Deny yourself the option of using jargon as a means to obfuscate your lack of deep understanding. (Before you correct me...yes, certain fields require it I.E. the sciences, the legal world, trading options, etc...just allow me to use this broad brush for a moment). How well can you build up your understanding that you'd be able to Explain It Like I Am a 5-year old (ELIA5).

I'm on a journey to develop my ability to write words that inspire and code that works.

If you enjoyed this - I'd love to have you follow along as I teach, learn, stumble  a bit, and get a little bit better every day.