Here are five reasons I believe we should be doing the opposite—encouraging students to use and contribute to this vast repository of knowledge—from my perspective as both a middle school teacher and a scientist. 1. It’s a good place to start: Wikipedia is the first place many of us go when we want to know something.

Wikipedia is an opportunity to teach students essential 21st century skills that most will use in their careers and personal lives. Wikipedia is a valuable public resource, and in a classroom environment, students learn how to contribute to it and how to use it properly.

Wikis allow students to become the authors of knowledge rather than the consumers of it, making wikis an excellent resource for inspiring students to form critical thinking techniques, to learn from their peers, and to become better contributors in group settings.

I wrote this piece to advocate for why we should encourage students to use and improve Wikipedia–an unmatched, free resource for growing curiosity, media literacy, and offering opportunities for student agency.

The benefits of using Wikipedia include developing digital information and literacy skills. What follows is a summarised list of the advantages of using the online encyclopaedia in teaching and learning, as well as a few ideas on how to begin incorporating it.