From the beginning, we ask our children to memorize letters, shapes, numbers, and words. Historically, rote memorization has played a dominant role in education, with children spending many hours and years doing drills for things like facts, spelling, and mental arithmetic. But in recent years, the emphasis has shifted to prioritize more critical thinking and other skills. So what role does memorization have for your child’s education and their successes later in life, and how much should you get your child to memorize?
Just in time searching isn’t enough
Some opponents of rote memorization point to the easy access to information we have now via the web and other plentiful resources. It is indeed much easier to access facts, dates, and other information as part of a thorough research process. While some information can be safely left until we require it, there is still a large role for memorization of key facts we require in order to perform necessary tasks.
Memorization is still necessary
It’s clear that without memorizing foundational facts, we will be continually checking and re-checking the same pieces of information. This is hardly efficient. Imagine reading an article where you have to constantly check the meaning of each word. Or performing a statistical analysis where you have to constantly check the meaning of basic terms such as average and mean. Your brain would not have the scope to fully comprehend and evaluate the information presented.
So rote memorization is the foundation of knowledge. But rote memorization provides us with a very superficial understanding. A child who does drills to learn spelling, meaning and pronunciation of sophisticated vocabulary may be able to recognize a word when they see it, but they are much less likely to understand the connotations of that word in different contexts, or be able to use that word when it is appropriate to do so. Their knowledge of that vocabulary is still incomplete.
Skill-building depends on memorization
Being able to work with the information we have memorized is necessary for success in education, and later in work and life. This requires much more than simply recalling it, though recalling it is necessary.
To use our information, we must put it in context with the theoretical and moral frameworks that apply to the situation we are in. We must understand the full relationships and significances of the information. And rather than being a passive reciter of facts, we must be able to utilize those facts to create assertions, complete tasks, write texts, or come to conclusions in pursuit of our own goals.
Lower-order to higher-order thinking
The ability to remember facts and information is classified as lower-order thinking on the Bloom’s taxonomy of thinking skills. This is because as we seek to understand, apply, analyze, and evaluate, we must remember first. To succeed in education, your child must develop all thinking skills, from lower-order to higher-order. That requires and includes memorization.
Further Reading
The role of memory, knowledge and understanding in learning (The Education Hub)
Why rote memorization is more important than you think (Brainscape)
Opinion: The role of memorization in teaching and learning (EducationWeek)
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