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"The U.S. has more memorizers than most other countries in the world." I'm wondering where they get this stat, because I just don't believe it. I lived in Chi

"The U.S. has more memorizers than most other countries in the world." I'm wondering where they get this stat, because I just don't believe it. I lived in China for a few years and the education system there is pretty much all rote-memorization. I've heard that it's similar in other parts of Asia. But the idea of the article is true: When you just memorize, it makes it difficult to apply the principals that you are learning to other situations/problems.

tokenadult 11y ago
I lived in China for a few years and the education system there is pretty much all rote-memorization. 你好. I used to live in Taiwan, and I have a big bunch of mathematics textbooks from China, as well as some recent math students in my local mathematics classes who grew up in China. Mathematics instruction in China is not at all about memorization, in the sense used in this article. A good book on the topic of mathematics instruction in the United States and China is Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics: Teachers' Understanding of Fundamental Mathematics in China and the United States by Liping Ma.[1] Her field study, with sponsorship by the United States federal government, made clear that elementary mathematics instruction in China is much richer and deeper and more conceptual than in the United States. But the idea of the article is true: When you just memorize, it makes it difficult to apply the principals that you are learning to other situations/problems. Yes. To memorize without underlying understanding is no more useful than not memorizing at all. Developing deep understanding of a topic usually brings along with it sufficient memorization of fundamental facts that the problem-solver will be able to solve some problems on the spot, and know when to look things up if needed. [1] http://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Teaching-Elementary-Mathematics-Understanding/dp/0415873843 http://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Teaching-Elementary-Mathematic... http://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/amed1.pdf http://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/amed1.pdf http://www.ams.org/notices/199908/rev-howe.pdf http://www.ams.org/notices/199908/rev-howe.pdf
- paulhauggis 11y ago
  "I used to live in Taiwan" I lived in Taiwan for a year as well. It was more of the same. "made clear that elementary mathematics instruction in China is much richer and deeper and more conceptual than in the United States." I didn't see any of this while in China or Taiwan. What I did see (also from my friends that had kids) was stress being put on memorization. I had a few friends that taught at language schools (teaching English) and many students couldn't effectively use grammar because they were so used to just memorization. I understand that you have links to a book that claims the contrary, but I just didn't see this in reality. But I will agree that the school systems in the US are equally as bad when it comes to not teaching memorization.

tokenadult 11y ago

I lived in China for a few years and the education system there is pretty much all rote-memorization. 你好. I used to live in Taiwan, and I have a big bunch of mathematics textbooks from China, as well as some recent math students in my local mathematics classes who grew up in China. Mathematics instruction in China is not at all about memorization, in the sense used in this article. A good book on the topic of mathematics instruction in the United States and China is Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics: Teachers' Understanding of Fundamental Mathematics in China and the United States by Liping Ma.[1] Her field study, with sponsorship by the United States federal government, made clear that elementary mathematics instruction in China is much richer and deeper and more conceptual than in the United States. But the idea of the article is true: When you just memorize, it makes it difficult to apply the principals that you are learning to other situations/problems. Yes. To memorize without underlying understanding is no more useful than not memorizing at all. Developing deep understanding of a topic usually brings along with it sufficient memorization of fundamental facts that the problem-solver will be able to solve some problems on the spot, and know when to look things up if needed. [1] http://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Teaching-Elementary-Mathematics-Understanding/dp/0415873843 http://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Teaching-Elementary-Mathematic... http://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/amed1.pdf http://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/amed1.pdf http://www.ams.org/notices/199908/rev-howe.pdf http://www.ams.org/notices/199908/rev-howe.pdf

paulhauggis 11y ago
"I used to live in Taiwan" I lived in Taiwan for a year as well. It was more of the same. "made clear that elementary mathematics instruction in China is much richer and deeper and more conceptual than in the United States." I didn't see any of this while in China or Taiwan. What I did see (also from my friends that had kids) was stress being put on memorization. I had a few friends that taught at language schools (teaching English) and many students couldn't effectively use grammar because they were so used to just memorization. I understand that you have links to a book that claims the contrary, but I just didn't see this in reality. But I will agree that the school systems in the US are equally as bad when it comes to not teaching memorization.