“How do we know any of this is true?” This question has stayed with me for some time. A student, who would only be in my class for less than a month before transferring, asked it during my third year of teaching and my first year teaching a high school history class. My response at the time seemed to satisfy him and perhaps the rest of the class: I explained that we have sources that detail the history of the events we were discussing. However, that question lingered in my mind, and it eventually led to a realization about my teaching approach: I was dictating the past to my students more than I was teaching them how to investigate history themselves.
Like many history teachers, I love the subject I teach—the events, the historical figures, and the stories they leave behind. But I began to see a glaring issue with my approach. My students were passive listeners, expected to tune in just long enough to take notes before moving on. Imagine if, in math class, students never had the chance to solve equations themselves, or in science, they never conducted experiments. It would be seen as a missed learning opportunity. Yet in social studies or history, the idea of “experimenting” or seeking new explanations can sometimes seem unusual. “It’s already in the textbook,” or “The conclusions have already been drawn,” some might say. But history is not merely the study of the past; it’s about understanding how we come to interpret the past.
At its core, history is a product of inquiry. Historians gather, analyze, and interpret documents to construct narratives. Similarly, students should be empowered to engage in this process to deepen their understanding of history. The challenge of making history education more inquiry-based isn’t new. In 1916, Charles H. Wesley noted, “Oral talks may be given in secondary schools, yet these may become an idle waste of time depending on the interest aroused by the teacher and the attitude of the pupils.”
Inquiry-based learning empowers students to engage in argumentation, a process many find naturally compelling. A true argument isn’t about who speaks the loudest or who has the most facts but about who can make a claim and support it effectively. Historians constantly debate the details of what caused an event or how its consequences continue to be felt today. This isn’t a dry, academic exercise—it’s a lively and engaging part of the historical process. Inquiry allows students to not only form an opinion but also make a claim and substantiate it with evidence. They may also come to realize that someone else can be equally right, yet form a completely different claim. Through this process, students come to understand that history is shaped by many perspectives, and their engagement in these debates is a vital part of historical inquiry.
The path of inquiry also broadens students’ understanding that history isn’t just about great men making big decisions. It’s about the complex interplay of economic, geographic, and social factors that drive people to make choices, often leading to unforeseen outcomes.
However, a significant challenge remains: testing, both in individual courses and on a state-wide level, often prioritizes historical knowledge over historical inquiry. As Ruth Sandwell observed, “Knowing ‘the facts’ rather than understanding the process is what [students] are most often, and most rigorously, evaluated on.” As long as multiple-choice tests remain the dominant form of assessment, there will be an ongoing tension between teaching content and fostering inquiry in the classroom. This is why advocating for a more inquiry-based approach in history education isn’t just a good idea—it’s essential. Such an approach promotes active learning and fosters a deeper understanding of historical processes
and events. It’s a change that needs to happen now.
The solution to these challenges is to continue down the path of inquiry-based learning. This approach allows students to take ownership of their learning and think like historians. They must develop questions, examine sources, weigh evidence, and consider biases. Students need the opportunity to explore and discover, rather than simply regurgitate historical material. These skills are essential for students to participate actively as citizens and engage in discussions with people from diverse backgrounds. This is the role that history—and social studies as a whole—should play in education. It needs to be supported just as strongly as the other core subjects.