Once upon a time children went to school and memorized poems. They memorized state capitals, multiplication tables, and presidents. They memorized chemical elements, French verb conjugations, and parts of speech. They memorized a lot. Those days aren’t completely gone, but they have certainly changed.

Trends in education have shifted away from rote memorization to concept development and understanding, and in most cases I believe that’s a good thing. If something is important enough to memorize, students should understand its importance. There is also a feeling that we live in an age where information is available at our fingertips through technology, so memorization isn’t so important anymore. Again, in most cases I would agree. Continue reading →