Rote memorization. Do you use it in your homeschool?
There’s a popular educational trend that pooh-poohs rote memory in favor of imaginative and critical thinking. I think this is because too often children have been required to memorize facts and procedures they did not understand. Unfortunately, instead of seeking to improve conceptual understanding so that the material being memorized by rote is meaningful, many educators today emphasize discovery learning and creativity while foregoing rote memorization.
But this, I believe, is putting the cart before the horse. In his clever satire, Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child, Anthony Esolen writes:
Without the library of memory…. the imagination simply does not have much to think about or play with.
Continue reading “Memory, Imagination, and How to Avoid Boredom”
Mercy for Marthas 