Rote learning - American Education

The acquisition of information by memorization. Often the beginning of knowledge—and often essential to the acquisition of knowledge, understanding and higherorder conceptualization—rote learning does not encourage the development of reasoning and other problem-solving skills. It can, however, place the necessary facts at the learner’s immediate disposal for the solution of complex problems. At the simplest level, for example, a thorough knowledge of the multiplication tables gives a student all the tools necessary for solving complex multiplication problems, once the student has mastered adequate problemsolving and higher-order reasoning skills. Exclusive use of rote learning, however, can interfere with development of higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, especially in abstract mathematics and science courses.