Definition
A four-step instructional method used in flight and skill training in which the instructor first explains and demonstrates a maneuver, then has the student talk through and perform it, gradually transferring responsibility from instructor to student. The four steps are: (1) instructor tells, instructor does; (2) student tells, instructor does; (3) student tells, student does; and (4) student does, instructor evaluates.
Plain English
A teaching method where the instructor shows and explains a skill, then the student gradually takes over the talking and the doing until they can perform it on their own while the instructor watches and grades.
Context Anchor
Used in aviation training when an instructor is teaching a pilot skill, cockpit task, procedure, or maneuver step by step.
Why Pilots Care
It reduces student errors and builds safe habits by combining clear explanation with direct observation before the student attempts the task alone.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as simply “talking and then doing.” In FAA instructor use, it is a structured handoff: the instructor starts with both the explanation and the action, then transfers both to the student in stages.
Example Sentence 1
When teaching steep turns, the CFI used the telling-and-doing technique, first demonstrating the maneuver while explaining each control input, then letting the student narrate and fly it on their own.
Example Sentence 2
Using the telling-and-doing technique, the CFI first explained and demonstrated a normal landing before letting the student take the controls.