TL;DR:
- Telling is the feeding of information without any real background of what students are doing or why. Teaching is giving context, explaining the “why” and “how” of what you want students to know.
- More learning happens through the process of teaching.
- An example of telling vs. teaching is explained.
In a recent conversation with one of my teachers, I told her I had “gallons of words,” and I was definitely willing to spill them out. I am at my essence a storyteller. Having been in education for 38 years, there are so many things that have happened, and I love to share my experiences, especially when they are related to events that happen on a daily basis at school.
As a big believer in the power of storytelling, I see the potential for stories to teach lessons. I do believe, however, that telling stories is distinct from teaching. Stories are a great way to engage people. However, I believe we must move past telling in order for good teaching to occur.
I read a blog post recently that gave a great distinction between telling and teaching. Telling is the feeding of information without any real background of what students are doing or why. Teaching is giving context, explaining the “why” and “how” of what you want students to know. When you tell a student to read a page and answer questions, they will likely do it…often successfully. But when you teach a student, you explain what information you seek from them as learners, and how the content fits into the fabric of the subject you are exploring.
By teaching rather than telling them, we are able to empower our learners to make academic growth and feel successful. Click To Tweet
Telling vs. Teaching – For real learning to happen, we need to teach rather than tell.
If our goal is to have real learning happen, we need to plan to teach concepts rather than just tell them. This concept also extends to my work as a school leader. We have pages of policies and procedures that tell our staff, students, and families about our expectations for running the school safely and efficiently.
The real teaching of policy is when we explicitly explain why policies and procedures are in place, and especially how we examine them to ensure they are working so we can adjust as necessary. I find that when we spent the time to teach, rather than just tell our procedures, our school family is much more willing to not just comply but to support the school.
I was reminded of this distinction recently when talking with a mentee about a new opportunity that was presented to him. In all honesty, I felt like I could tell him the “correct” answer to his questions, but that would leave a hollow sense of clarity and understanding in the situation.
My best approach was to teach through the process by listening first, asking clarifying questions, and posing a set of “what ifs” that helped guide his thinking to a satisfactory conclusion. It would have been so much easier just to tell! However, clearly, more learning happened through the process of teaching.
An example of telling vs. teaching in practice.
One of my best examples of telling versus teaching in my role as school leader is an annual event we do called Goal Setting Open House. At this event, we share data with families about student performance on state exams, and in general, give a data snapshot of where we stand as a school in relation to state standards. As part of our campus improvement planning process, we set data goals for student performance for the current year as well.
Our goal for the evening is to communicate the standards and the way we intend to get students to meet and exceed the standards through our instructional program. This is a vital part of our mission as we seek to engage our families in purposeful work that helps move students from good to great.
During this event, our teachers share specifics with parents about what those expectations will look like for students. If you have a first grader, teachers share an example of a reading passage that is on level for beginning, middle, and end of year. Parents appreciate being able to see what on level looks like, and develop a greater understanding of why we provide the academic activities and support to help students reach their goals.
When we offer support to students academically, parents understand why and know that we are doing our best to ensure their children are successful. This positive connection helps our students know that everyone connected to them is on their side, looking for ways to help them become confident learners.
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Telling vs. Teaching – When you are intentional about teaching, you move the needle.
Teaching is the essence of empowerment. With individual students, we explain how to get from where they currently are to where we imagine they should be. By teaching rather than telling them, we are able to empower our learners to make academic growth and feel successful. They also learn to connect what they do in class with their ultimate growth as readers, writers, and mathematicians.
My advice to teachers and school leaders is to be intentional about teaching rather than telling whenever possible. We have the ability to transmit not just content knowledge, but a deeper understanding of systems and how they fit together to make our schools successful. Go ahead and tell your stories! Just make sure you are connecting your stories to the academic or social lessons you are trying to convey so that storytelling becomes story teaching!
About Martin Silverman
Martin Silverman is a father, grandfather, husband, and long-time educator in beautiful San Antonio, Texas. He is committed to providing the best educational experience for the students and families at Salinas Elementary school where he is principal. Martin has worked in urban, suburban, and rural districts as a teacher and administrator. His interests are in creating and nurturing school culture, providing enriching experiences for students and families, and developing future teachers and administrators.
As a former bilingual teacher and administrator, Martin is committed to providing ELL students with quality programs to develop their unique skills. He hosts a podcast called The Second Question, which highlights educators and provides them a forum to discuss ideas, and to honor the teachers that have influenced their lives.
