In this essay, the author describes her experience with an experiential model of learning through teaching that gives college students the opportunity to use what they learn in the college classroom to develop curricula and then teach those curricula in an elementary school. Her specific experience was with a science course for non-science majors, but the underlying principles are more generally applicable. Her investigation into the impact of this new approach asks several specific questions about student learning: (1) Can we apply the common saying "I understood that subject best when I had to teach it" to students in our courses?; (2) If so, what differentiates their learning through teaching from their learning through more traditional pedagogies?; and (3) What is the impact of tightly integrating the cognitive aspects of learning with affective aspects (motivation, confidence, sense of purpose) and metacognitive aspects (perspectives on knowledge and awareness of learning)? The evidence from this project reveals that casting students in the role of teacher is a remarkably powerful way of making visible, to both the students and their instructors, some invisible shortcomings of traditional educational approaches. (Contains 6 resources.)