As an educator, I have been connecting to so many students and teaching them so many concepts. Then to check whether they have understood the concept well – I quiz them or ask for their feedback. Their answers help me gauge if my students have truly understood what I have just taught them. Whenever I spot a student who is unsure of a complicated concept, I urge the class to “explain it to me like I’m a five-year-old.”
I have always had this belief that if you can explain a concept to your grandparents or a young child in simple terms, it demonstrates your understanding. If you can break down a complicated idea with analogies relevant to your life, it shows that you have grasped it well. I have been using this technique for the last few years, imagining that it was my innovative teaching strategy; until I stumbled upon a quote from Einstein! (Haha!)
[There are various versions of this quote that are attributed to him.]
Here’s what Albert Einstein, the greatest physicists of all time, has to say:
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Let me know in the comments section.
In this ongoing series #GreatMinds on my blog, I am shining a spotlight on the important ideas that some very successful people keep talking about in their public life.