Rote memorization is one of the countless catchphrases that educators generally despise. To learn something by rote is to learn it from memory, without thinking about the meaning in a mechanical way. This sounds terrifically unpleasant, doesn’t it?
The fear is that we are gradually turning our children into automatons by force-feeding them useless bits of information such as dates of trivial battles. But, on the other hand, is it possible that memorizing things is in fact underrated in modern American society?
Many could make a convincing case that it is not only useful but also vital for people to memorize things. The truth is, even though application of knowledge plays a more substantial role in learning, rote memorization is not entirely unpractical because it proves to be useful in different circumstances.
The “times table” was probably the biggest learning challenge in elementary school along with learning the spelling of words. Rote learning is necessary in the early stages of learning as the foundation of knowledge is not present; however, application skills are more beneficial for testing the quality of knowledge.
Algebra II teacher Mr. Schroeder elucidates: “Applying what you know to different problems is the true meaning behind knowledge.” There are basic rote things such as addition and subtraction that people have to know, and once you get into more advanced studies, you’re more likely to be able to engage at a more fluent level if you have some key things that are in rapid access memory. But the key is to make sure that students have a deep understanding of the conceptual underpinnings.
We do have exercises that can be categorized as “deliberate practice” as opposed to “rote learning.” The difference is that “rote” means to mechanically memorize formulas until they are drilled into long-term memory. “Deliberate practice” is when we say “Look, we’re going to have you solve a bunch of equations, and they will help you get into the rhythm and logic.” Most of the time, if you have worked enough, your brain starts to draw connections.
“Math isn’t all about memorization,” Anthony Tobiaz’16 says, “and I’m positive that we didn’t learn to think critically and insightfully in history by rote.”
We remember a rich profusion of material as a result of hearing it repeatedly, and that is why rote learning is sometimes referred to as learning “parrot fashion” or “off by heart.” Songs and their lyrics, especially the National Anthem, get imprinted in our memory as trivia, which is the information that has no practical purpose or relevance in our lives. This information can be extremely valuable in Trivia contests because rote learning can be fun when it is made into a game or competition—spelling words and using trifling knowledge are matters of repetition and revision after all. However, when it comes to education and building a foundation of knowledge for the future, application-based learning should take precedence over something that will win trivia contests.
Wan Xing ’17 remarks, “Rote learning makes sense when it comes to subjects like biology because memorization skills are necessary for remembering long binomial nomenclatures. At the same time, I believe the application of knowledge is essential, especially in history and math.”
Try learning a phone number, long quotation or poem “by heart” then test your recall a few days later. It does work, but the problem is that the material is distorted or not assimilated with other knowledge. Your recall won’t be as strong as using memory techniques based on association, location and imagination. Rote learning is a memory technique that sometimes has to be used as it can result in some information being retained, but more advanced memory techniques should be used to effectively encode information into memory once the foundation knowledge is established.