I recently had a lengthy conversation with an administrator that believed that critical thinking is the only thinking to be fostered in our students. He went on the express his belief that there is no room in education, nor is it necessary to work with the use or practice of short-term memory (ie: Memorizing of materials).
As a history teacher, I have to admit, when I started teaching, and looking back at my personal experiences, there was a time that all learning felt like it was memorization. As I became more mature as a teacher and understood learning better, critical thinking was obviously a next step for students as they reach their abstract abilities.
I am working on a unit where some basic memorization is essential for my students and they are struggling with it. They are wonderful and deep thinking and making connections and inferences with materials, both primary and secondary. Ask them to memorize something, and they struggle!
These are the issues that I have recently run into.
* Students have a hard time organizing their memories.
* Students have difficulty studying for memory.
* Students need to tie what they are memorizing to stories.
* Students have difficulty in confidence in their recall.
* Students have real difficulties with the memorization of numbers.
Interesting note: These students do not have to memorize their times-tables.
So...
I find this interesting.
Do I pursue it? Do I simply appreciate their strengths in higher order thinking and use of higher level DOKs?
Be Mindful.
Peace.
Mark Levine
#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites
I'm not saying any memorization is wrong. I see a place for it. In your class, I would ask myself if what I am asking them to memorize is something they need in the future. Or is the general knowledge of what you want memorized is enough for their future?
ReplyDeleteAnd, I love that you think about this and ask others about this. In the end, it's your decision
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, YES, you pursue it. Memorization is getting to be one of those lost skills, yet it is an important life skill. My son, who is a college sophomore studying premed, is always creating flash cards to memorize terms. I wish someone would have taught him (a maybe more efficient way) to do,this when he was in high school. You know that in education, everything is cyclical — memorization will have its time again. Be a trend setter!
ReplyDeleteJennifer
Thanks Deb and Jennifer! I really think that, as Jennifer explains, it is becoming a lost art. maybe one that we didn't realize the consequences of losing and now...I am seeing students struggle because of it.
ReplyDelete