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Flipping the Script – Getting My Students to Teach Me

In my work, I teach a lot of one-on-one classes online to students. Until recently, my focus was primarily on teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) and IB Geography to students. However, last month, I started teaching history. Initially, I was apprehensive about how to approach teaching history one-on-one and online, wondering how I could ensure my students not only learn the content but also stay engaged and develop crucial skills. Teaching one-on-one is vastly different from teaching face-to-face, and doing so online adds another layer of complexity. Each student is unique, and the benefit of one-on-one instruction is that I can tailor each class to the individual needs and preferences of my students. Identifying the best way to deliver content to each student is my responsibility.


After several classes, I discovered a simple yet effective activity to help students learn content and develop important academic skills simultaneously: having them teach me about the topics we're covering. Let me share a specific example to illustrate how this works. Last month, we were exploring the four river valley civilizations. We started broadly, discussing what constitutes a civilization, when a complex society becomes a civilization, and the characteristics of a civilization. For homework, I asked him to choose one of the four river valley civilizations and create a 10-minute presentation to teach me about it. I provided general guidelines, such as including an introduction, main body, and conclusion, demonstrating knowledge and understanding, and using a variety of primary and secondary sources. He chose Ancient China and spent the week researching and preparing for the presentation. In our subsequent class, he delivered the presentation.


My student delivered a very strong presentation, showing a deep understanding of Ancient China. He discussed the geographical factors that allowed China to develop early dynasties, such as the Xia, Shang, and Zhou, and explained what made these dynasties unique. He elaborated on how Chinese culture and civilization have a sense of continuity that persists even today. I asked him a few higher-order thinking questions to gauge whether his understanding went beyond the superficial, and this was the real meat of the activity. For example, I asked how China today is linked to Ancient China, and he responded brilliantly. He explained that the Warring States period in ancient Chinese history is relevant to today’s China because of the new ideas that emerged during that period, including concepts of morality, leadership, and philosophy, which still influence China politically and socially.


When I asked if he enjoyed the activity, he responded with a resounding yes. This student enjoys presentations more than essays and other traditional forms of assessment, which motivated him to put in a lot of time and effort. He researched in depth and, as a result, learned a lot. All of this was self-directed too, which I believe is one of the best forms of learning.


Comparing this method to traditional lecture-based approaches, the differences are quite stark. In traditional settings, students often passively receive information, leading to disengagement and superficial understanding. In contrast, by having students teach the material, they become active participants in their learning process. This method fosters deeper engagement and promotes critical thinking, as students not only have to understand the content but also communicate it effectively.


This approach works exceptionally well with one-on-one online classes. It helps students understand and gain confidence in the content while also developing their communication, presentation, and research skills. The best way to learn something is to teach it. This idea is rooted in educational theory and supported by research. The "protégé effect" suggests that teaching others can enhance one's own understanding and retention of material. Teaching requires active engagement, deep processing, and reflection, making it an effective pedagogical approach. This student-centered approach places them in control of the class and the learning process, while I act as a facilitator, asking questions to clarify and encouraging critical thinking. By having students take the lead and present their knowledge, we flip the script.

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