Unraveling the Truth About Rote Learning & Its Disadvantages

Here’s an interesting question for you!

Go down memory lane in your school days and find out one common thing about the following:

Multiplication tables
History dates
Algebra formulas
Complicated spellings
Chemistry formulations

Yes!

You’ve got this one right!

These are all examples of information that we mugged up as students. And this rote memorization technique was a common practice for us back in those days. As adults, we often look down upon this practice as an age-old and outdated temporary way of learning.

But is rote memorization 100% obsolete for our students?

And should we do away with this technique replace it completely?

Let’s dig in and find answers for ourselves!

What is Rote Learning?

The simplest rote memorization meaning is to repeat information and register it in one’s mind. In the broadest sense, it does not require any understanding. And one can cram or mug up information and store it without taking much understanding of the idea/concept/thought/fact.

After memorizing, the crammed information gets stored in one’s memory. And this information is once again used when needed (at the time of exams).

How Does Rote Learning Work?

Learn by rote meaning indicates a process wherein new items are memorized. Whenever a new piece of information is encountered, the mind stores it for further use. Broadly, this information stored is often recalled at a later stage.

But again, it is not as simple as it sounds!

When we understand what is rote learning, we must also know that the mind’s efficiency to recall is subject to the information loaded. If the mind stores too much information, its ability to recall deteriorates. This affects the quality of recall, making it imperfect and faulty at times.

Despite criticism, rote memorization is still a popular practice for many reasons including some good ones too. Let’s discuss these advantages before we take up the downsides of this technique.

Importance and Benefits of Rote Learning

Promotes Understanding

Research proves that 71.2% of students found this technique useful to remember and understand the material better. For many students, learn by rote meaning is positively associated with better understanding, as they find the material more familiar while understanding.

Another similar research proves the utility of a popular memorization technique, Loci (Method of Loci). 92.9% of students found it easy to recall after attending a 60-minute training session in the Loci method.

Saves Time & Keeps the Brain Going

When students understand the importance and learn by rote meaning they can utilize it for tasks/information that do not need a deep analysis. Information like multiplication tables or formulas is best remembered through rote learning. And it does help students to score in exams without investing too much time in revision or preparation. Indulging in rote memorization is also great for keeping the brain active. Because this activity boosts overall memory power.

As adults, we can easily remember many things that we crammed as students in our childhood. And many of us still flaunt this memorization technique as we astonish people around us with some facts that are still stored in our brains.

Connect Information for Meaningful Learning

Another interesting aspect of rote memorization meaning is that it helps to build an understanding of complex information seamlessly. When students already know facts through their memory power, they can easily connect with complex information with the crammed information at their foundational knowledge.

What Do Stakeholders Feel About Rote Memorization?

80% school principals in India felt that rote learning was responsible for the poor learning standards.
70% of the principals said that the present curriculum lacks the scope for creativity.

Now that we have discovered the learn by rote meaning, it’s time to understand the downsides of rote learning.

Disadvantages of Rote Learning

Lacks Sustainability

If you know what is rote learning, you will also agree that it is merely a single strategy to cram facts. Too much of it takes away the opportunity to learn meaningfully (and creatively). Hence, this technique should not be applied to too many topics or things.

Does Not Guarantee Accuracy

Rote learning can go wrong!

If you memorize with mistakes it also stays as much as the information memorized without these. There is no clear distinction between correct and incorrect information as memorization hardly involves any analysis of the material/information. For this reason, this technique is used only for certain foundational information. And we must avoid it for topics that need creativity/concepts/involve thinking skills in any form.

No Focus on Broadening Understanding

In most cases, rote memorization does not help in building new understanding. It limits a student to memory level knowledge. And makes no great contributions to one’s overall knowledge and skills.

Can Shake the Foundation of Learning

This technique does not involve high-level thinking. Hence, too much of it makes an individual incapable of solving problems creatively. In other words, rote learning is the opposite of meaningful learning. Because it does not create much understanding of concepts at a deep level.

Is Rote Learning Still Effective in this Digital Age?

While 21^st-century education focuses more on meaningful learning, rote learning still has a place of its own. Teachers in most traditional and online schools do not focus on repetition exercises too much. Because there is easy access to information in today’s age and date.

Despite this paradigm shift, cramming exercises still help in keeping one’s brain active. Hence, we must make a positive and limited use of this technique to help our students.

Tips for Teachers/Stakeholders to Make Better Use of Rote Learning

Do not depend on learn by rote meaning and advantages alone, mix active learning opportunities alongside this technique.
Incorporate more creativity in topics that do not require this technique to beat boredom.
Never replace this technique with concept understanding. Focus on building and understanding initially.
Reiterate memorized information periodically so that students can actively recall information/facts at the right time (for example grammar rules, tables, etc.).
Connect dates, facts, and statistics with real-life stories/incidents as a backdrop to work on building understanding over and above the dependence on rote learning.

Final Thoughts

It is right to conclude that rote memorization has drawbacks but it is not completely useless!

After all, memorization is a foundation that keeps the brain active, and makes complex meaningful learning possible at the next stage. Just imagine how you could have solved complex mathematical problems at the senior secondary level without memorizing multiplication tables in primary level.

Yes! Leaps of learning depend on many strategies. And rote learning is certainly one of these!

Thanks for Reading!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some rote memorization examples?
Multiplication tables, grammar rules, facts, or important dates of events, etc. are some rote memorization examples.
Mention some rote learning advantages and disadvantages
Rote learning saves time and creates a foundation to understand complex topics better at the next stage. However, it does not help in developing thinking abilities.
What is the drawback of rote memorization?
Rote memorization limits the brain’s capacity to analyze and understand.
What’s the Difference Between Rote Memorization and Meaningful Learning?
Rote memorization is to cram facts without any understanding. On the other hand, meaningful learning involves a deep understanding of the topic/concept/information.