I appreciate this article. However, I'm not sure that rote memorization is the root problem that causes people to shut their minds off at school. There are real educational benefits to memorization: poems, multiplication table, declaration of independence, etc. The real problem emerges when kids are expected to memorize facts that are not related to a larger context and story that allows them to derive meaning from the facts. There is a prevalent educational philosophy that believes you can just dump facts on children and allow them to derive their own meaning. Needless to say, it does not work very well.
I appreciate this article. However, I'm not sure that rote memorization is the root problem that causes people to shut their minds off at school. There are real educational benefits to memorization: poems, multiplication table, declaration of independence, etc. The real problem emerges when kids are expected to memorize facts that are not related to a larger context and story that allows them to derive meaning from the facts. There is a prevalent educational philosophy that believes you can just dump facts on children and allow them to derive their own meaning. Needless to say, it does not work very well.
Wonderful article, I appreciate your work! It makes me a better person!
Insightful as always