Today I Choose to be Teachable – How to be Teachable

The Surprising Truth About How to Be Teachable

Everything you’ve been told about how to be teachable might be backwards. After years of trying the conventional approach, many women managing multiple responsibilities discover a different truth about being teachable. Yesterday, while mentoring a group of professional women over 50, I realized that our traditional understanding of teachability often conflicts with the wisdom we’ve gained through decades of experience.

The journey to becoming teachable in our 50s and beyond isn’t about erasing what we know – it’s about leveraging it. Research shows that cognitive flexibility actually increases with age when we approach learning differently. Our mature minds are uniquely equipped to integrate new information with rich life experience.

Why Traditional Advice on Being Teachable Falls Short

The conventional wisdom about being teachable – empty your cup, start from scratch, forget what you know – particularly fails women over 50. While organizing old photos last weekend, I noticed how each decade of life added layers of understanding that shouldn’t be dismissed but rather built upon.

Traditional approaches often suggest that being teachable means becoming a blank slate. However, neuroscience reveals that mature brains learn best when new information connects to existing knowledge. Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, author of “How Emotions Are Made,” explains that our brains are prediction machines that use past experiences to understand new concepts.

The standard advice also typically ignores the unique challenges women over 50 face. Many of us juggling caregiving responsibilities, career transitions, and health management need learning approaches that work with our complex lives, not against them.

Moreover, conventional teachability advice often stems from educational models designed for younger learners. These models rarely account for the sophisticated pattern recognition and intuitive understanding that comes with five decades of life experience.

The Counterintuitive Path to Being Teachable

Instead of diminishing our existing knowledge, true teachability after 50 means embracing our wisdom while remaining curious. Research from the Harvard Business Review suggests that successful learners in later life actually lean into their experience rather than trying to ignore it.

This counterintuitive approach involves what psychologists call “integrative learning” – where new information is deliberately connected to existing knowledge. For example, when learning new technology, successful women over 50 often excel by relating new apps to familiar systems they’ve mastered before.

The key is to view our existing knowledge as a foundation rather than a barrier. A study of adult learners found that those who acknowledged and built upon their life experience learned new skills 40% faster than those who tried to start fresh.

Unconventional Strategies for How to Be Teachable

Do the Opposite

Instead of trying to be humble and self-effacing, start by acknowledging your expertise. List your life experiences, skills, and intuitive knowledge. Then, use these as bridges to new learning. For instance, if you’re learning social media marketing, draw on your years of traditional marketing experience or people skills.

Create what learning experts call “experience maps” – documents that connect what you want to learn with what you already know. This approach has helped countless women over 50 master new skills by building on their existing strengths rather than trying to suppress them.

Question Everything About Teachable

Challenge the assumption that being teachable means being passive. Research shows that active questioning and even respectful skepticism can enhance learning. Use your hard-earned critical thinking skills to engage deeply with new information.

Develop what I call “wisdom filters” – ways to evaluate new information against your life experience. This isn’t about rejection; it’s about integration. When learning something new, ask: “How does this align with or challenge what I know? What unique perspective can I bring to this?”

Embrace the Paradox

The most teachable moments often come when we’re confident enough to be vulnerable. Studies show that learners who maintain strong self-confidence while acknowledging knowledge gaps learn faster than those who approach learning from a position of complete humility.

Create learning environments that honor both your experience and your curiosity. For example, join or create study groups with other experienced women where you can freely share both knowledge and questions without judgment.

Real Women Share Their Teachable Breakthroughs

Consider Sarah, a 56-year-old executive who struggled with traditional learning approaches until she started applying her decades of leadership experience to new challenges. “Instead of trying to be a blank slate, I began asking how my experience could inform new learning. My progress accelerated dramatically.”

Patricia, 62, found success in learning coding by relating it to her years of experience in logical problem-solving as an accountant. “The moment I stopped trying to think like a 20-year-old programmer and started thinking like an experienced professional who happens to be learning code, everything clicked.”

These women discovered that how to be teachable after 50 means embracing their unique advantages rather than trying to overcome them.

Your Permission to Be Teachable Differently

Being teachable in your 50s and beyond isn’t about starting over – it’s about starting from strength. Your decades of experience aren’t baggage to be checked at the door; they’re valuable tools for faster, deeper learning.

Remember what Maya Angelou wisely noted: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” This approach to being teachable honors both your past and your potential.

As we navigate this chapter of life, let’s redefine how to be teachable. It’s not about becoming less of who we are to learn something new. Instead, it’s about leveraging everything we’ve become to learn more effectively than ever before.