The Lost Art of Teaching Kids to Improve Memory

The Lost Art of Teaching Kids to Improve Memory

The Lost Art of Memory: Why Memorization Skills Are No Longer Taught to Children

For centuries, a staple of education was memorization. Students were required to memorize math facts, poetry, grammar rules, historical dates, and more. The emphasis was on rote repetition and committing information to memory through practices like oral recitation, copywork, and spelling tests. 

In recent decades, however, memorization has fallen out of favor in many schools. Educational philosophy has shifted toward critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving. While these skills are undoubtedly important, the pendulum may have swung too far away from memorization. We now risk losing the benefits of memorization, both for academic performance and mental health.

The Decline of Memorization in Schools

Up through the mid-1900s, American schools placed heavy emphasis on memorization. It was not uncommon for students to recite aloud, in unison, math facts and poetry. Spelling tests, geography bees, and multiplication tables drilled rote memorization. Educators justified this by arguing memorization developed mental discipline and character. 

In the 1960s and 1970s, criticism of these traditional methods grew. Researchers raised concerns that rote learning inhibited deeper understanding and critical thinking. The memorization model gave way to a focus on individualized creative thinking and problem-solving. While clearly beneficial in many ways, this shift had unintended consequences. 

Today, students rarely engage in intentional memorization. A typical math lesson focuses on real-world applications, not times tables. English classes emphasize persuasive writing over poetry recitation. Rather than weekly spelling tests, students learn to use spell-check software. Memorization is viewed as outdated drudgery. This devaluation of memorization skills has left modern students deficient in some key cognitive abilities.

The Cognitive Benefits of Memorization 

Memorization strengthens attention, builds mental stamina, and develops the brain's memory storage capacity. Mastering the multiplication tables requires concentration and repetition. Reciting classic poetry word-for-word encodes it in memory networks. Struggling to correctly spell advanced words expands the brain's lexical representation. In a world filled with distractions and information overload, focused memorization skills are increasingly valuable.

Research shows practicing memorization can positively impact academic achievement. One study found a correlation between how quickly elementary students could recite math facts and their math test scores. Fluently recalling math facts frees up mental resources for more complex operations. Memorizing vocabulary definitions similarly facilitates reading comprehension. Internalizing core knowledge through memorization enables students to make connections and think critically.

Memorization also benefits mental health and cognitive development. The effort involved in memorization builds grit and perseverance. As students memorize more sophisticated information, new neural connections form, strengthening memory storage and reasoning abilities. Reciting poetry by heart gives insight into rhyme, meter, and meaning. Performing a memorized monologue boosts confidence and public speaking skills. Far from being mindless parroting, intentional memorization exercises important mental faculties.

Effective Memorization Strategies

Modern cognitive science offers insights into time-tested memorization strategies:

Chunking: Breaking information into smaller pieces makes it easier to hold in working memory. Memorize a 10-digit phone number as three groups rather than individually. Chunk history dates into meaningful periods. Segment word definitions into roots, prefixes, suffixes.

Visualization: Creating vivid mental images connects information to visual memory. Picture each digit of a phone number mapped to locations along a route. Associate vocabulary with memorable images. Diagram historical events along a mental timeline. 

Storytelling: Weaving facts into a cohesive narrative sequence embeds them more deeply. Tell a story connecting the image of each digit in a phone number. Set vocabulary words in a fairy tale plot. Craft a historical biography bringing dates to life.

Rhythm: Set information to rhyme or song to leverage auditory memory and motor pathways. Create rhymes for math facts. Sing grammar rules to popular melodies. Chant a speech to a metronome beat.

Spaced Repetition: Revisiting memorized knowledge over time from one day to several months strengthens and sustains memory. Use flashcards for ongoing math fact practice. Recite poetry every few weeks. Return to historical timelines at the start of each term. 

Testing: Active recall through oral recitation or old-fashioned quizzes cements memorized knowledge. Have students take turns reciting poetry from memory to the class. Give weekly spelling tests. Play math fact speed games. 

These techniques flex the brain's memorization muscles. With guidance, students can use them to build fluency across academic subjects. The knowledge gained through memorization then provides a solid foundation for critical thinking and creativity.

The Value of Memorization in an Age of Technology

In the digital era, some argue memorization is unnecessary when nearly all information can be instantly accessed online. However, offloading information storage to devices has consequences. First, digital devices differ from the brain's sophisticated memory systems. Electronic storage does not strengthen attention, mental endurance, or neural networks like encoding knowledge internally does. Shortcuts like calculator apps atrophy math fluency. Autocorrect stunts spelling skill.

Second, relying solely on technology for information makes students less self-sufficient. In contrast, memorized knowledge can be accessed anywhere, anytime - no device required. Mastering times tables enables quick mental math calculations. Memorized vocabulary boosts reading speed. Internalized historical facts allow deeper analysis. Background knowledge drives comprehension and creativity.

This is not to say students today need the same memorization demands as 1950s schoolchildren. But intentional memorization should still have a place in modern education. Students need a base store of memorized knowledge to think critically and creatively, speak persuasively, understand cultural references, and read efficiently. Memorization and technology should be complementary tools, not polar opposites.

Incorporating Memorization Into the Classroom

How can today's teachers find the right balance of knowledge memorization while still fostering high-level thinking skills? Here are some suggestions:

- Prioritize key foundational knowledge: Focus memorization on the most important basics: math facts, core vocabulary, chronological frameworks. Avoid rote drilling on trivial details just for the sake of memorizing.

- Use memorization practice strategically before assessments. Emphasize practice leading up to quizzes on state capitals, vocabulary tests, math exams. This prepares students' memory capacity.

- Break up memorization into manageable chunks: Assign just 5 spelling words each week, or 3-4 historical dates at a time. Short doses keep it from becoming onerous.

- Make it fun with games and competition: See who can write the most spelling words from memory fastest. Have students create cartoons depicting vocabulary. Pit rows against each other reciting times tables.

- Provide cognitive accommodations if needed: Some students need adaptive techniques like rhythmic tapping or tracing words to support memorization. 

- Connect to higher-level goals: Link vocabulary to improved reading fluency. Explain how mastering math facts enables more applications problems. Show how memorized events anchor historical analysis.

- Limit technology shortcuts: Require mental math by banning calculator use on quizzes. Have students hand write essays to build spelling skills. Ask test questions that require memorized knowledge.  

- Inspire pride in hard-won knowledge: Praise students for persevering through difficulty to encode knowledge internally. Show off their accomplishments with poetry recitations. 

With creativity and balance, memorization can play a vital role in 21st century classrooms. Students need both critical thinking and a store of foundational knowledge. Intentional memorization exercises develop mental capacities that support deeper learning. Renewing memorization as a learning skill will better equip students for academic and life success.