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comment by humanodon
humanodon  ·  3969 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What's the Difference Between Book Learning and Class Learning?

I would add to this, that books are very, very good for some things and not for others. For example, a book might be great for procedural things where the steps must be followed to the letter. However, what a book can't do is adapt to a student.

On the other hand, a good teacher should, yes, answer questions, but also know the student well enough to understand when an answer should be provided or the student needs to be pointed in the direction of the answer. A good teacher is also a good guide.

Furthermore, what a teacher can do that a book can't, is feel out how support and guide a student in such a way that they are able to see things from a different or new perspective. Books may accomplish this, but usually it's incidental. A book is great for seeing things from an author's perspective.

If you're in university, try to check professors out. See how they work a room. See how they interact with large groups vs. small groups or individuals. Many professors become professors before they have any teaching experience. Most are there as educators, yes, but of their subject and that subject alone, though it may encompass several courses. Often, their primary goals as set forth by the university may not be the educational side, but the research side.