In Praise of Rote Learning

Does this make me a Neanderthal? (digression -- am I the only one who learned that word with the "t-h" pronounced?)

One of the more waspish of Catholic bloggers has a post about a failed, (or at least re-structured/named/focused,) group/initiative/agency, hitherto, (but only for a very short time from hither,) involved in evangelization and catechetics under the aegis of a national bishops' conference.

I know nothing about the case, what struck me was a story in the combox, probably apocryphal, but containing a great kernel of truth.

It tells of a man, fallen away from his childhood faith and on the verge of despair, who suddenly recalls the answers memorized to questions in a "penny catechism" long ago, beginning with the very reason God made him.

These simple truths have remained with him so thoroughly, so deeply, that unsummoned, unbidden they come to him, they stay his hand; he does not swallow the lethal dose, he does not commit suicide.

Why did we stop asking children to memorize?

Yes, yes, yes, it is important to understand reasons, to have a grasp of relationships, to make analogies... but how does it then follow that memorization is not also valuable, or even counter-productive?

One often hears it disparaged, any learning that is merely "rote" is dismissed as being beneath notice, not even worth discussing.

Why did we stop taking advantage of the natural state of children's brains, of their ability to memorize -- the first nearly empty and the latter nearly limitless?

Do we worry that few 5 year olds will have the words "indivisible" or "allegiance" in their vocabulary, much less really understand their meaning, and so postpone teaching kindergartners the Pledge? whinging

There are so many facets of Catholic culture and Catholic doctrine I learned as an adult that I should have been set to memorize as a child, instead of painting shells and singing silliness.

Numbered lists of precepts and marks and cardinal thises and thats... the comprehension of why could have waited, but the facts would have been installed.

This is not just a problem of religion education, it was a rampant stupidity in all of education as afar as I can see.

I, for instance, do not know my times tables.
I was set to making arrays, and combining sets, and lining up rows of dots.... but never asked to memorize simple multiplication problems.

Higher than 6 X 6, and I have to actually work it in my head, by remembering how 7 groups of sixes relate to 6 groups of sixes.

It becomes a process of addition rather than simple recall.

And it's not that I haven't tried, even as early as in high school, when I realize what a disadvantage it was.

And it's not that I have no aptitude for mathematics -- my math SAT was 780. I say that not to brag, (not that pride isn't one of my least attractive traits,) but to give evidence that it is not my fault. (Never accepting blame for anything is my VERY least attractive trait...)

Obviously I could have memorized my multiplication tables, somewhere along the line one of my teachers should have insisted. Heck, suggested, I was pretty malleable.

In short, bring back memorization, bring back rote learning.

It should not be the only weapon in the teaching arsenal, but it should certainly be one of them.