Memorizing

On: Rote Memorization and Visualization

Is memorization in schools really such a bad thing? Some would say that it is because there may not be true understanding of the concept or lesson. To that I agree. But I would like to make an argument for the idea that it helps individuals (kids and adults alike) to visualize something in their “mind’s eye.” Visualization is something I have found is missing for one reason or another. 

What is the first image that pops up when you think of someone contemplating or recalling something? I don’t know about you, but I see someone looking up as if they are looking to pluck something from their mind somehow. What they are actually doing is not looking at the clouds, ceiling or sky for an answer, but are searching for a vision of what they need to recall. It could be a word, an event, or a feeling… and the only way to do that is to “see” it. I can assure you that because so many people have had instant access to answers or information, they have not had the opportunity to imprint the information into their brains or as I like to say- “mind’s eye.” It can be a struggle to remember the mundane things in life, but it is a struggle that is worth enduring in order for that imagery to help us ultimately recall information. 

When I was teaching, I would have a list of spelling words each week that the children had to memorize for a test on Friday. (Don’t worry, I also used these same words for vocabulary lessons and the students had a lot of opportunities to use and see them through a variety of exercises.) Perhaps you think that is a stupid idea. Perhaps you think that it will not help children to understand the spelling process and rules for understanding if they are being asked to memorize the correct spelling. Although I understand that learning the rules will help students understand- there are so many that simply cannot and will not be able to access that learning or be able to implement those rules in order to be a good speller. So, I would challenge you to consider the idea that if an individual has a hard time recalling those rules, it would be better to just memorize the spelling of the words, especially English, because our rules are complicated and filled with exceptions. If that is the only way to spell words correctly- is that so bad? Wouldn’t you rather have them recognize that a word is not spelled correctly and even if they don’t know how to spell it properly- they can “see” that it is not right and may seek out a proper spelling?

The idea of visualization to me is so important and goes hand in hand with memorization. Memorization is one of those skills that we threw out because it did not encompass the understanding component. Sometimes I feel like we are not encouraging children to take the time to think and recall information that they are exposed to. The next time you ask a child what they had for lunch in school that day and they tell you that they “don’t know,” don’t prompt them with information you know, but ask them to imagine the lunch table. Who was at it? What did you talk about? Maybe ask them to close their eyes and do that. And if they still can’t recall, ask them some more questions to see if you can elicit that memory. If you find they have a hard time even doing that, perhaps consider how you might practice memorizing. Perhaps you can play the Memory Matching game with cards. Show them a picture for 20 seconds and then put it away and see if they can recall 3 things on it. Have them memorize a short poem. 

I guess the long and the short of it is that the world is moving so fast, and that information is so easily accessible, that I am afraid that some of the old-fashioned tasks that children had to do in school have been thrown out but could still be valuable as “off screen” skills. Maybe rote memorization isn’t the cure for laziness or information overload, but I really think it has gotten a bad rap and so to that I say – when your child is bored…have them memorize all of the names of states or even the elements of the Periodic Table. What harm could that do?