--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The commonest error of the gifted…" description: "\"“The commonest error of the gifted scholar, inexperienced in teaching, is to expect pupils to know what they have been told. But telling is not teachin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/edward-lee-thorndike-78043_education_the-commonest-error-of-the-gifted-schola_2948933.jpg" --- # The commonest error of the gifted scholar, inexperienced… ![“The commonest error of the gifted scholar, inexperienced in teaching, is to expect pupils to know what they have been told. But telling is not teaching. The expression of facts that are in one's mind is a natural impulse when one wishes others to know these facts, just as to cuddle and pat a sick…” quote by Edward Lee Thorndike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/edward-lee-thorndike-78043_education_the-commonest-error-of-the-gifted-schola_2948933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/edward-lee-thorndike-78043_education_the-commonest-error-of-the-gifted-schola_2948933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/edward-lee-thorndike-78043_education_the-commonest-error-of-the-gifted-schola_2948933.jpg) > ““The commonest error of the gifted scholar, inexperienced in teaching, is to expect pupils to know what they have been told. But telling is not teaching. The expression of facts that are in one's mind is a natural impulse when one wishes others to know these facts, just as to cuddle and pat a sick child is a natural impulse. But telling a fact to a child may not cure his ignorance of it any more than patting him will cure his scarlet fever. (p. 61)”” Edward Lee Thorndike ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Teaching requires guiding learners to discover, not just stating facts; understanding comes from active engagement. **In simple terms:** Teaching is more than telling facts. Key Takeaway Encourage active learning. Themes education learning pedagogy Mood reflective instructive Type didactic motivational When to use this quote - classroom instruction - mentoring - training workshops - online courses Key Concepts constructivism cognitive development Questions to Reflect On - How can you prompt students to construct knowledge? - What strategies turn passive listening into active understanding? A Different Perspective Learners may still miss concepts without proper scaffolding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Lectures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lectures/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) ## Related quotes > [“To be knowledgeable, sit before scholars; to be wise, sit before life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/to-be-knowledgeable-sit-before-scholars-to-be-wise-sit-before-life/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“The sexual act of coitus and the body parts employed for it are so repulsive that, if it were not for the beauty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-sexual-act-of-coitus-and-the-body-parts-employed-for-it-are-so/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Telling it all after the fact...easier said than done!...much easier!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/telling-it-all-after-the-fact-easier-said-than-done-much-easier/) [Louis-Ferdinand Céline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [You go to someone and you think, 'I'll tell him this.' 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