James Nutting

Good teaching is nothing more than high quality communication. Quality is determined by the right choice of words, not the most words used. When teaching is done well, it builds up from the bottom up rather than enforcing from the top.

A lot of things in this world are done the wrong way around. They are enforced from the top.

The same mistake is frequently made in teaching.

There is a syllabus - a list of things the student needs to know for the exam or assessment. Tutors then teach students what they need to know to pass the exam.

People don't learn well if they don't really know why they are learning. If there isn't a clear purpose or the knowledge isn't in some way based in the real world, students will struggle to recall the information.

If you can encourage someone to think about why they need this knowledge, why it matters, how it may be useful or contribute to their own progression or society, then they don't usually need to cram or do last minute revision.

When you understand something, you don't need to revise it.

My goal, therefore, is not simply knowledge, but understanding.