The Feynman Technique

The physicist Richard Feynman won a Nobel Prize, but he was also famous as a teacher who could explain very difficult ideas in simple words. A method named after him is popular among students: if you cannot explain something simply, you do not understand it well enough. The Feynman Technique turns this idea into four easy steps, and you can use it for English grammar.

Step one: choose one idea. Do not choose a whole book. Choose one small topic, such as the present simple, or the difference between "this" and "that". Write the name of the topic at the top of a page.

Step two: explain it as if you are teaching a ten-year-old child. Use simple words, short sentences and examples. Do not copy from the book. Write or say it in your own words. For example: "We use the present simple for things that happen again and again, like every day. With he, she and it, we add s to the verb."

Step three: find the gaps. While you explain, you will notice places where you stop, where you use difficult words, or where you are not sure. Those places are exactly what you do not understand yet. Mark them. This step is the most valuable one, because it shows you the truth about your knowledge.

Step four: go back and learn. Open your lesson, read the difficult part again, and find a better example. Then explain the whole idea again, even more simply. If you can do it smoothly, you have learned it.

You can explain to a friend, to a family member, or to yourself in front of a mirror. Teaching is one of the best ways to learn, because it forces you to organise your thoughts.

Choose one grammar point today and try the four steps. You may be surprised by how much you discover.