Students learn best when they are immersed in a content-rich learning environment that builds up their background knowledge. Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock
Instead of making students memorize a bunch of useless facts, we need to help them think like scientists and historians. This is best accomplished by an inquiry-based learning approach that allows students to guide their learning process and discover key concepts on their own.
Michael Zwaagstra is a public high school teacher and a senior fellow with the Fraser Institute. He is the author of “A Sage on the Stage: Common Sense Reflections on Teaching and Learning.”
