Is it Taught or Caught?
Read Time / 2 Minutes
Theme / Wise Living
Over the years, I’ve met some of my dearest friends spending quality time around a drum kit. In a couple recent cases, I attempted to teach younger men who were hungry to become better drummers to serve their church. You may know this already, but teaching is a tough gig. Whether it was working through a groove or a fill for a song, teaching was a constant reminder that I needed a better understanding of the concepts I was attempting to teach. Albert Einstein’s voice gently reminded me “if you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.”
As I get older, I desire to be a more effective teacher. Whether we are teaching friends to play drums or children to manage finances, we can consider the following 5 steps as a helpful reminder on the process of learning:
Explain the skill and why it’s relevant
Demonstrate the skill
Let them try
Review their first attempt(s)
Encourage practice
While I believe verbal instruction is necessary, I’m convinced of the principle — more is caught than taught. Scripture instructs us that “in everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned… (Titus 2:7-8a).”
As I’ve been reminiscing on this idea in relationship to my experience, I decided to call my friends to hear their thoughts on our time spent banging on the drums together.
Here were some of their thoughts:
Andrey said, “it was helpful when we would get together and break down each song’s unique parts.” This was a helpful reminder that explaining nuisances and their relevance to the overall goal is productive.
Drake shared, “On Sundays, I’ve been watching how you use your hi-hat foot, and I’ve been experimenting and practicing that a lot at home.” This encouraged me that my example also teaches.
While this blog is more of a musing than an firm conclusion on how to be the world’s best teacher — though if anyone has cracked the code, please email me — my take away is an effective teacher makes meaningful concepts simple and practices what they preach.
Ryan De Amicis
Wealth Advisor
408.758.6413
ryan@christianwm.com
