Memorization is not the answer
When teachers force students to memorize pages full of information for a test, word for word, they never subsequently retain that knowledge.
Throughout their lessons, some teachers spit out facts to their students to write down, making sure they don’t miss a single thing they say, oblivious to the fact that they aren’t actually expanding their understanding of the topic. Instead of explaining the concept to students with diagrams, hands-on activities, examples, or even answering their questions, some teachers talk the whole time, expecting students to memorize the exact information given to them. When students are simply writing down whatever facts the teachers blurt out, they aren’t able to use their critical thinking skills to apply that information to anything.
In middle school, I had a teacher who made us type down every exact word she would say during our lectures.
The day before a science test, we were given a list of information on a two page study guide to memorize. The teacher said that instead of applying our knowledge of the topic on the quiz, she wanted the “exact definitions” from the study guide, and “word for word explanations.”
That evening, I came home and immediately started memorizing the information on that study guide. Not just the science related facts, but every conjunction, preposition, adverb, and order of words had to be locked in my head by the next morning. None of this had to do with science. By midnight, I pretty much memorized every sentence, word for word.
When I got the test the next day, I was pleasantly surprised. I knew the answers to all of the questions on that double sided page. I answered everything with ease, turned it in, and felt pretty confident about my performance.
A few days later, I got my score back: three out of four. I was content with that score even though I had spent hours the night before memorizing every detail.
When I got my test back, I expected markings on a question or two that I could’ve answered incorrectly—I answered every question correctly though. Under a marked question, there was an underlined sentence in my answer. The question asked “What atoms make up a water molecule, and how many of each atom is there?” My answer was “One oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms.” I was marked wrong because the answer was “Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.” It was the same answer, but I was solely being tested on my memorization skills.
A few days later, I couldn’t remember most of the information on that test. All of it left my mind because I hadn’t actually learned anything.
Forcing students to recall every exact thing teachers say and be able to write it down word for word on their tests is pointless. Instead, teachers should create an environment where students can expand their understanding of concepts—not feel pressured to memorize facts verbatim. This way, they can apply their knowledge for future use.
I love how you used an example from your own experience to show why you have your opinion on memorization now! I think new strategies should be implemented for students to retain information long-term.
Very well said Leila. I completely agree, memorization is never the way to go. In any subject it is so much easier to retain information through understanding. Keep up the good work!
This is an opinion I definitely agree with! Memorization doesn’t help with actually being to apply knowledge, and eventually everything students memorizes just gets forgotten outside of the class-setting.
Honestly, reading this really resonated with me. I’ve definitely experienced being forced to memorize things word for word for a test, and I totally agree with you that it doesn’t help you actually learn. Memorizing every single detail might get you a decent score for a day, but most of it just disappears from your mind afterward. I think education should be about understanding ideas, also not just repeating facts. Teachers should focus more on helping students grasp concepts and think critically rather than making us feel like robots writing down every word they say.
I really do like this article! It’s so artfully written and very relevant to many people.
This is such a really thoughtful reflection! True learning comes from understanding and not just memorizing.
I appreciate you bringing this topic to attention. I agree that during lectures, it is hard to retain much of the information when I am focused on making sure I took notes on everything the teacher said and it seems unfair to get points marked off for not repeating exactly how the teacher wanted the answer to be written. It is hard to memorize and continue to remember what students learn in school and I hope teachers can find ways to fix that.
I completely agree, memorization is a stressful thing to do and often results in cramming in my personal experience. Thanks for speaking about this!
I agree a lot with this, I’ve had multiple teachers who are looking for purely memorized information which doesn’t facilitate actual learning. Chem was a nightmare because of this for me as well because of memorizing arbitrary definitions. The worst part, like you mentioned that because we are incentivised to cram information the night before, we forget it all a few days later so what we are left with is a score and nothing actually learnt.
I luckily haven’t experienced too many teachers who expect word-for-word memorization, but I agree that expecting memorization rather than understanding is ridiculous. Of course, some things do have to be memorized, simply for convenience— you’re not going to derive a math formula every time you need it— but I feel like some educators take that concept to far. Your story captured a lot of the experiences other students go through, and a lot of my friends had to struggle through the same verbatim memorization in their science classes like you. I agree that educators should focus more on understanding rather than memorization so that students can retain the information they learn for longer.
This is such a well-written article. I’ve definitely had countless classes like that where it felt like the whole point was just to memorize instead of actually understand. Your story about the science test really hit home. It’s frustrating when you technically know the answer but still get marked wrong just because it’s not worded exactly the way the teacher wants it. It really captures what so many students go through.
I agree with this a lot, very well written too!!
I can totally relate to this and this has been one of my complaints I have of certain methods of teaching. It feels like the teachers, especially the AP ones, do this so that they can stay on track with the curriculum regardless of whether or not the students will retain the information.
School should be about connecting the dots, not memorizing them.
Pure memorization is particularly difficult for someone like me, so I’m glad there are teachers at CVHS who don’t rely on this kind of grading system.
I hope that eventually, better, more effective universal teaching methods can be found.