Mind over memorization

Every student is different. Some are introverts, some extroverts, and some of whatever is between. The number of personality tests that clue students in on whether they are visual, auditory, or physical learners only proves it all the more. But still, we are taught the same exact way:  rote memorization and regurgitation of information. But in the end, it does not really matter because most of this information is learned simply to be learned.

“I try to actually let my students learn something, not just memorizing a way to due but actually being able to problem solve,” an Etowah science teacher who shall remain nameless, said.

Students of the new millennium memorized perfect squares rather than learning how to actually multiply. Students admit to not knowing long division, only having it partially memorized until the calculators came in. Quizlet, the holy book of high school, can find entire tests and students can memorize the answers rather than do the work to learn this information. It seems good when you are in a bind, but when exam day comes, it will not be so Quiz-lit.

“If you quote me, leave this anonymous. The only reason I passed any of my reading quizzes in AP World was because Quizlet has all the questions and answers. Truthfully, I never even opened that textbook,” admitted an Etowah sophomore.

Some skills, like vocabulary, is more of a memorization skill, but teachers have taken that and modified it to every subject. Students like it more, too, because it is so much easier to memorize something for a short time. But in the long run, everyone regrets it. While we may not need to know some of this information ten years from now, we do need to know it in May.