[pdpi]

> It sounds like a contradiction that someone could learn something new by answering a question. Isn’t that just spitting out something they already know?

A while back I started participating actively on Reddit's r/explainlikeimfive, and this has been my experience — explaining things I (think I) understand in ways that are accessible to laypeople really forces me to confront the sloppier parts of my understanding. If you're a technical person, it's also a great exercise in communication with non-technical people.

[intrasight]

I do technical training and also give talks. There is no better way to learn things than to have to teach others.

[repple]

I view it as: each time you answer the same question you are forced to reincorporate everything you’ve learned since the last time you’ve answered it. Which makes you reassess your chain of thought and maybe come to a different conclusion. And thereby learning something new.