2.09.2007

Learning vs. Rote Memorization

After reading Dan's blog, I feel compelled to say something on the matter of memorizing something for the purpose of spitting it back out on a test, only to be forgotten an hour later. The question of the year is this....When do you REALLY learn something??? Must you do something with the information other than regurgitate it? Do you have to practice it? Where do you draw the line?
This has been a perplexing question since I started this ED program at Pacific. There's all kinds of people studying it, but there still seems to be only grey.
That's all

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

great question. i struggle w/this too w/my students. i know from my experience that rote memorization does little in the way of helping me synthesize and assimilate information, even if i do remember it. i would like my students to be able to think ABOUT the information w/o having to worry about memorizing it, because after thinking something through it usually sticks much easier and for a longer period of time than when you simply try to remember it until you are finished w/a test.

Paulos said...

Suppose that your students thought about something came to the conclusion that they believed something different than the 'right' answer and they knew the right answer but had to conform to take the hit. Wouldn't it just be better to memorize and regurgitate the info back?

Paulos said...

the peasants demand a blog update!