Honors High School Courses differ from traditional courses in that they foster a greater degree of independent scholarship grounded in inquiry (a crucial skill associated with scientific discovery), creative design, and lifelong learning.
Traditional High School: It’s common and appropriate for teachers to present a concept or skill, have students learn and practice said concept or skill, then show students how to apply what they’ve learned.
Honors High School: Teachers become more like coaches who “guide from the side.” Instead of providing students with questions and assigning the same analysis task to all, teachers in the Honors High School encourage students to ask the questions and to design and carry out their own plans for analytical, evaluative, and creative projects.