To be a great teacher you also have to be a great learner. When you stop believing you have things to learn then you stop delivering your best – and your learners will recognise this.
To be a great teacher you not only have to know your subject inside out but you need to still be able to identify with your learners while retaining the authority and conviction to deliver your subject in a way that they relate to – often requiring you to learn new skills to communicate your learning point to a learner who isn’t able to grasp it using your ‘normal’ method.
A great teacher knows to listen at least as much as they speak. Why?
Because by asking questions, not only do you discover what the learner knows, thinks or believes you also find out how well they are able to apply or reason on their learning (you get to ask “what if…” questions too) and you can adapt your approach accordingly. We know that repetition is a necessary part of learning and nothing substitutes for the learner actually controlling the repetition themselves rather than listening to the trainer. Practical application is great. So is having the learners teach each other. Remember the saying “If you tell me, I forget; if you show me I remember; if you involve me I understand”? If they teach it, then they truly know it.
Great teachers know that the learner needs to educate themselves, to relearn what they already knew and find a way for their new learning to stick
English