"A Good Example is the Best Teacher" - NOT

 "What!?! That's heresy! Mr. Andrews, how can you tell us that a good example is NOT the best teacher! We have been hearing that all of our lives, and now you want to tell us it isn't true!"

Yes. It isn't true.

The good example by itself is often not where the teaching takes place. You can be the best example possible, but if the student doesn't understand the reason behind what you are doing, or the process behind the doing, or why they should want to do that thing, then the example is largely wasted effort. The meaning of your example too often sails right over their head!

If you are not moral and ethical, then your active teaching of these values will very likely be ignored. Thus, the good example is important as a follow-up to the actual teaching.

If I as a teacher model some good behavior, tool, method, or skill, the student may mimic it and be able to "parrot" it back to me. That is copying. That is being a human "tape recorder". That is NOT learning.

At best, "Teaching by being a good example" is passive teaching. The problem with it is that the actual learning must be done using the mental resources of the student, NOT those of the (hopefully better equipped) teacher!

In the author's opinion it comes from people who either are too lazy or too busy to figure out how to teach that subject or who can't figure out how to teach it.

What is the likely reason they can't teach a thing? Most likely because they do not understand how to do it! An example is "how to think." It is not easy to do it correctly. Even it you are good at thinking, you may not know HOW you go about thinking! (Read the pages on thinking.)

Another example is how to debug or troubleshoot failed hardware or software (I am an engineer). There are engineers who are good troubleshooters. They can't tell you how they do it. They don't know HOW they do it! It is done mostly beneath their consciousness! I have seen it happen!

Scenario #1 (Passive teacher, great student)

A really intelligent student who is highly motivated becomes an "apprentice" to a capable person (a "Master" craftsman, be he a skilled tradesman, or an intellectual worker).

• The Master does not explain how or why he does what he does. (Yet, he is a Good Example!)
• Eventually, the bright apprentice will likely discern some of the rules and methods that the "master" uses, and why. Others will escape her, at least for the time being.

Eventually, the apprentice learns, develops, and becomes a master of that trade.

• The teacher Explicitly teaches the apprentice:
  • What the goal of each step is.
  • How he does it.
  • Why he does it that way.
  • What will happen if it isn't done that way.
• Demonstrates (the Good Example).
• Apprentice does it.
• Teacher reviews everything.
• Teacher checks out the apprentice's understanding by asking for feedback in the apprentice's own words.

Rhetorical Question: Which apprentice (scenario #1 or #2) will "Master" her trade sooner, and be better at it?

• The Master does not explain how or why he does what he does. (Yet, he is a Good Example!)
• The apprentice becomes frustrated because she cannot deduce from the Good Example the principles underlying the work, and so she continually makes mistakes.
• The Master becomes frustrated.
• The apprentice becomes frustrated.

They both give up. (Sound familiar?)

• "Well, if I have too."
• Explicitly teach the apprentice:
  • What the goal of each step is,
  • How he does it.
  • Why he does it that way,
  • What will happen if it isn't done that way.
• Demonstrates (the Good Example).
• Apprentice does it.
• Teacher reviews everything.
• Teacher checks out the apprentice's understanding by asking for feedback in the apprentice's own words.
• The skills and reasons are handed to the student on a platter. He doesn't have to think too much.
• It takes a long time, but the master is able to teach the apprentice enough to "Get by."

Master may ignite a spark of interest. "I CAN do this!" In that case, the student will master the work better and faster.