Can Students Benefit from Memorizing?

Don't memorize it; learn it!

Have you heard it before? Have you said it before? Even more importantly, have you just memorized something to make it through the next test?

Because of Benjamin Bloom, teachers have pushed students to higher level thinking skills since the late '50's. We want students to analyze, to synthesize, to evaluate. We feel like real learning isn't happening unless students are pushed to those higher levels. And God forbid we be evaluated when students aren't at the analyze/evaluate/create level.

But does all learning take place at the upper levels of Bloom's? Specifically, does memorizing have a place in today's learning?

As a child we learn the ABC's by memorizing them. Many of us know our math facts because we were forced to memorize them. In elementary I memorized a weekly spelling list just to pass the test. In fourth grade I memorized the states and capitals so that I could write them in on a blank state map. Was all of that effort a waste of time? Or did I reach a higher level of understanding in math because I had memorized my math facts? Can I read a map today because I once memorized which state was where?

While memorization may not be at the top of the chart, it is important. Knowledge/remembering is at the base of the pyramid for a reason - it's the foundation of learning.

Each year I have to do a review of parts of speech and function. It is surprising the number of students who, given a sentence to analyze, can't locate the verb. Or can't edit their own papers because they can't identify the verb when I tell them to check their tenses or agreement.

I start verb study with a pre-test then give students a list of helping verbs to memorize for homework. For three days, I have them write the verbs in a given order as a test. Along the way we identify the verbs in practice sentences. Students are usually amazed at the difference in the pre-test grade and the test grade after memorizing the helping verb list.

This year I required that my students memorize and recite a monologue from Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village.  Today a student reading from the book, came to my desk to discuss his reading with me. He started with, "My monologue said..." And without any real comments from me he had quickly talked himself to,"Does that mean that..." He had reached those upper levels on his own. I simply suggested that when they had time, students should read the other monologue parts mentioned in their monologue. Everyday someone brings me information that supplements his/her monologues - and we finished them last week. Learning is continuing without me. Isn't that just what we teachers hope for?

Without a solid foundation, the house will not stand: without a knowledge base, learning will crumble. We cannot expect to students to analyze, synthesize, evaluate, or create without some base knowledge that can be developed and even inspired by memorization.