Learning by Teaching

by Nicole Ayers, 7th & 8th Math and Science

If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself. ~Albert Einstein

Research indicates that students have a deeper, longer-lasting learning experience when they are charged with the task of teaching others. In teaching others, students not only learn content, but they also develop valuable social and emotional skills. When students take on the role of teacher, incredible learning takes place.

For the second year in a row, our middle school students selected a passion project in the field of science to research and then teach to students in lower school and preschool. They extended learning into high school or even college level, but then they brought it down to a level that much younger children could understand. More importantly, each student infused wonder and joy into their projects. Our Science and Engineering Festival was a great learning experience from Pre-K to 8th grade!