by Karen Goodright

Created on: December 05, 2008   Last Updated: December 06, 2008

Although I agree that "rote learning or learning by memorizing is not the optimal learning method...", to assert that rote learning should be dismissed entirely from a quality curriculum is overly broad and myopic. The bias against rote learning means that too many educators are prevented from putting this highly valuable tool to proper use, and students are paying the price.

As an example, consider something as rudimentary as learning one's times tables. In a public elementary school in Chandler, Arizona that has been ranked "Excelling" -the State of Arizona's highest school rating- the majority of fifth grade students are struggling in Mathematics. According to one teacher, the students are lagging behind in ability and comprehension because "they can't do multiplication."

A handful of students are able to progress through the lessons at a normal pace and earn acceptable grades. The parents of these students were encouraged to allow their children to move into an "accelerated" class. My son was among these. I expressed some hesitation at first, because the previous year my son had struggled with multiplication as well, and we worked through the summer with him to improve his skills. When asked how we achieved such results, I replied that he already knew that multiplying was a short form of addition, and I taught him to know his times tables by rote. The teacher's response was that while she would love to spend time drilling the students on their times tables, "The school frowns upon rote learning."

And so what was once considered an acceptable standard of comprehension for all students is raised to the level of high achievement. In other words, because rote learning is unfashionable among educational philosophers these days, the school prefers to "dumb down" classes rather than provide students the tools necessary to succeed.

It is necessary and correct that students should know and understand fully that 2 X 2 =4 because 2 X 2 is another way of expressing the equation 2 + 2, and 3 X 3 = 9 because 3 X 3 is another way of expressing the equation 3 + 3 + 3. Once a student understands why 2 X 2 = 4, teaching multiplication tables by rote is immensely beneficial in helping them use multiplication in the way it is intended - as a shortcut, a convenient method of figuring that eliminates the need to add the numbers individually. In addition, when one knows automatically that 2 X 2 = 4, one quickly grasps the inverse fact that 4 / 2 = 2.

While rote learning is not the optimal method in all cases and, in those cases, should be discouraged, the ability to instantly know one's times tables provides a firm and sturdy foundation upon which all other mathematical learning may be built. Memorization is the best way to ensure that instant access is possible.

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