HOW TO TEACH
We may know a lot about a particular subject and think that’s all that
is needed to teach others. But there are many factors involved in
teaching. First we need to understand the subject so thoroughly you can
explain it simply and answer most questions about it. We need to be
aware not to pass on things we read or heard from others as though it is
the absolute truth! Have we experienced it for ourselves, proven it out,
done extensive research, examined other sides and opposing theories and
checked with our own gut intuition. Have we done our best to make sure
it is true. If we are not
sure, are we saying it is a theory that may or may not be true.
Don’t assume you are a good communicator. Self
opinion is no opinion. Our ego happily thinks we are brilliant at many
things we do. So, ask others what they think of your communication
skills. You will need to insist they answer honestly.
Do you assume someone is interested in what you want to tell them. Most
people are too polite to say they are not interested or tell you what
you are saying is not real to them. Do you ask whether the person is
genuinely interested in a broad understanding or would prefer a brief
explanation to get a general idea. We can get very passionate about
areas that excite us. We need to remain aware of the person we speaking
to, so that we spot signs that tells us they have had enough, such as
yawning or starting to look around. Are people making excuses to get
away?
As a teacher, we need to learn the importance of using a gradient
approach. That means to take things gently, step by step, explaining
fully, while observing and establishing the exact reality and
understanding of the person we are speaking to. We don’t need to tell
them everything at once. That can be very overwhelming. We often don’t
consider that something may
be too much for someone, because we understand it just fine and are
passionate about it. It is also easy to get stuck in our ego that has a
fixed idea that ‘others need to know this’.
Such a fixed view is controlling,
overrides free will, causes discomfort and can even cause us karma if we
are responsible for causing someone to back off the whole area.
Regardless of our good intent, help is not always help. The safe way to
always get it right is by bypassing the
mind and ego and finding our gut intuition and knowing. There is a big
difference between knowing and believing something. And even if we do
know, it is still subjective, based on our own experience.
When we know a subject well, it is easy to forget how long it took us to
learn it. Becoming very familiar with things, can lead us to assume the
basics of our subject are common sense and common knowledge. Assuming
others already know the basics, can make us skip key points, cut
sentences short and offer incomplete understanding within a sentence.
Many years ago, I was helping someone ‘from scratch’ who wanted to get a
computer so they could get emails. I found a good brand laptop cheap
from a Cash Converters (Australian brand chain store), checked it out,
took off anything -including icons that were not useful. I added a good
email programme ready to connect to the internet to get emails. I then
bought a folder with clear plastic inserted pages and typed out many
clear pages with only what was needed on each page. Step by step,
exactly how to use the computer and how to do emails, including drawing
simple diagrams. I kept in
mind exactly why they wanted it. I started with basics. The zipped bag
contained a laptop (a good brand, year and model) a power cord to
connect it to the wall, and something called a mouse. I explained how a
laptop can be used by either plugging it into a power outlet or can be
used for a couple of hours from its inbuilt battery - and how that
battery is charged up again. Made
an easy to refer to alphabetical list - and its relevant pages. How to
switch laptop on. What is a desktop. What is a mouse? You realize most
people know exactly what a mouse is. It is a furry animal that can
frighten people (not sure why!!) So, obviously, they have no idea what
you mean by the mouse you are referring to. It needs to be fully
explained - batteries, wireless, left and right hand click, what is a
click, how to move it, curser, etc. And on we go, what is an icon, how
to click on the email icon, Make a page showing the keyboard with a big
arrow to - ‘Press this button to turn the laptop on’. I physically took
the laptop to my friend and went through each step, as well as got them
to do each step themselves. You can see what is needed. Teaching from
basics and not assuming anything is known! When the basics are known, we
can teach anything, provided it is of interest to us and them.
Do you speak from the assumption that others already know technical
words you use; that people will know the abbreviated letters of
organizations, products, brands, city names, locations, etc. such as WHO
for the World Health Organization.
Have you taken into account any language barrier? If it seems a person
may be a foreigner, have you checked if English is their primary
language or if they are well versed in English? If not, you need to
speak slowly and use simple basic words. And very importantly, avoid all
local slang words. Do you know all the words that are known only to your
nationality? And if you do, do you then change your vocabulary to make
absolutely sure you don’t use any slang words or any of the concepts
that tend to infiltrate our vocabulary from popular use in TV adverts
and programmes. It is possible that someone needs to have lives in the
country of the language you are speaking, for at least 20 years to
hopefully have gained some knowledge of the slang. If you are in
Australia, you can image the confusion of a foreigner if you said ‘Not
happy, Jan’, ‘Anyone for KFC’, etc. Perhaps it’s a good idea to
familiarize yourself with some of the slang words it is wise to leave
out of your conversation.
https://www.vu.edu.au/sites/default/files/aussie-slang.pdf
https://slll.cass.anu.edu.au/centres/andc/meanings-origins/all
If we allow it, our mind is a never ending stream of thoughts and our
ego thinks it’s clever for us to use hard words to make us look
intelligent. We can become over confident and think its us doing it all.
It is not. Time to find real wisdom and humility and recognize we are
catalysts for a universal wisdom.
It is a wonderful gift to be able to teach. If that is your role here,
it will come naturally. But for it to flow and be easily understood, we
need to ensure we don’t let our mind and ego dictate the exchange. Work
on intuitive response that comes unfiltered from the universe. Keep hold
of it as it came to us, and don’t let the mind and ego alter it by
telling us how it ‘should’ be delivered. Remember ‘what is a mouse’!
Love,
Sandy Stevenson
6.5.2024
https://www.lightascension.com/welcome.html