Memorization vs. Understanding

Memory is a basic tool in the learning process. We have been taught to extend memory from childhood. However, there is a big difference between memory and learning. Before you understand the information you can really learn and then apply what you think we learned to new circumstances and experiences.

Copyright © Dennis H. Congo, Certified Supplemental Guidance Trainer. University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816 - 407 - 823 - 3789

Sadly, the problem of memory and understanding is always present in mathematics classes. In teaching like chain rule in calculus, I find that I want students to tell me what to remember to them. They do not understand why I claim they understand it. It is like refusing to learn the first year reading, wanting to remember the name of the dog. Imagine that the teacher of the piano understands learning the piano "easier" by putting cotton in the ears of the students. The students can not hear anything. This is not distracting. The poor student was sitting in front of the piano and told to press a specific button in a specific order. Students must memorize strange symbols, such as countless memories "A", "B", "C", and write rules on the paper. Students have never heard of anything! It's not music! The teacher will help the students by eliminating unnecessary sound spread!

There is one thing to remember by following a series of steps to solve the calculus problem. It is completely different to understand what a derivative is, to be able to obtain derivatives of complicated functions, and to know when to use chain rules and product rules. Simply following the outline of the step or textbook question provided by the professor, you are only at the surface to understand the problem. Instead, excellent students solve the problem to the problem, solve the problem, work in the opposite direction, and ask "why".