Thoughts on Show and Tell

I have been meaning to write this post for a while. The more it delayed, the more I got time to ponder over it and understand more nuances. I’m now trying to write it down without waiting till eternity.

Show and Tell is a powerful tool in kids’ education. Children, and even grown ups, learn better by doing. The second most preferred way of learning is by teaching, or explaining to others.

I teach at a B-school as a visiting faculty and I often get asked: Why do you teach?

Once I answered: “I like learning. And hence I like teaching. Teaching is a great way of learning. When one teaches, two learn!”

Students didn’t get what I was saying metaphorically. They took it literally and started looking at each other to see who were the two lucky ones who learnt something in my class.

Anyways, jokes aside, explaining things is a powerful technique to sort out things in your head. And hence Show and Tell works.

However, it’s a tool or a technique and not a rule that must be followed. Not many understand it.

There is also a school of thought which says: “Show me, don’t tell me”. It implies that I’m mature enough to understand, don’t dumb things down for me.

This is a common mistake I often see in films, television etc. There is a background laughter for sitcoms, or scenes are exaggerated and the characters tell a joke even as they enact it. They assume that the audience is naive and would not understand nuance and subtlety. It is an insult to the intelligence of viewers.

Winston Churchill, the perfect example of high-brow British attitude, summed it up well, when he said: “I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.”

“Show”, “Tell”, “Show and Tell” and “Show, don’t tell” are tools or techniques and they have benefits and limitations like any other. Their suitability would depend on the context and purpose. One should not be committed to or a slave of a particular tool. As long as we understand these differences and choose the right tool we need not worry.

I hope I was able to tell…ammm, I mean show…ammm…leave it. I hope I was able to demonstrate significance of Show and Tell!