105. Rote memorisation

Rote memorisation is commonly reviled. I think some careful consideration of its role is in order. In short, my position is that rote memorisation is an inefficient approach, but sometimes difficult to avoid (such as when learning foreign language vocabulary), and should not be shied away from when there is no other option, though we should certainly do what we can to use alternatives. In the recording I also talk about ways to reduce or eliminate rote memorisation where possible, cultural differences between China and the West, and my own experience of learning vocabulary, among other things. Enjoy the episode. *** RELATED EPISODES Cognitive science (general): 19. Seven Myths about Education by Daisy Christodoulou; 52. How We Learn by Benedict Carey; 79. What Learning Is; 80. The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters; 81a. The Myth of Learning Styles; 81b. on the Expertise Reversal Effect; 82. Memorable Teaching by Pepps McCrea; 85. Why Don't Students Like School? by Dan Willingham; 86. Learning as information compression