I feel like I forget, I see, I remember, I understand. These wise words spoken by Confucius himself may be one of the most fundamental elements of education and learning that exists. The concept that Confucius lays out in this quote is that students learn best by taking an active role in their learning. There is no point in telling students the information they need to know, as it is usually simply forgotten. At the same time, for some students simply visualizing a situation is not enough; It is vital that hands-on, interactive experience is incorporated into learning. The idea of ​​“interactive learning” is commonly misunderstood and underestimated, as it should be meaningfully incorporated into the daily school activities of children of all ages, especially those in primary schools. Compared to international peers, the U.S. education system is lacking in every way. In a recent test, “American students ranked 25th in math, 17th in science, and 14th in reading” (US Students Still Lag Behind), while Shanghai students outperformed every other school system in the world. This statistic shows that the way the school system is run here in the United States is flawed and that major changes need to be addressed and made in a timely manner. The first step in solving a problem like this is to observe how students learn most effectively. The question of how children learn most effectively and which environments are most beneficial for learning has been a widely debated, discussed and researched topic for years. However, the idea that taking responsibility and being interactive in one's learning – presented by Confucius – is essential has been proven time and time again. There have been many studies that show that movement and… middle of paper… and PatriciaMcKeever (2012). "Children's Movement in an Integrated Kindergarten Classroom: Design, Methods, and Preliminary Results." Children, Youth and Environments 22 (1): 145-177. November 18, 2012 from http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/ Rieber, Lloyd P. “Seriously Considering Play.” Lloyd P. Rieber. Np, nd Web. November 20, 2012. “Stella Vosniadou.” University of Athens. NP, October 2004. Web. December 5, 2012. "U.S. Students Still Lag Behind Foreign Peers, Schools Making Little Progress in Improving Achievement." Huffington Post. Np, 23 July 2012. Web. 4 December 2012. .Vosniadou, Stella. How children learn. UNESDOC. Network. November 15. 2012. .