This paper emerged from the strong belief in the importance of research-based education for enhancing local identity in modern architectural practice and education of young architects today. It proposes an alternative teaching approach, introduced at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade, in the academic years 2014/15 and 2015/16. The main argument presented in the paper is: In order to strengthen the role of architectural history in education and in the profession, content-based teaching should be replaced with pedagogical experimentations, having an emphasis in converting from teaching to learning