Learning Versus Memorization

 

This question is often argued among people. What is better, to learn or to memorize? Today, we shall uncover the secrets of this theory and understand what is better for us as students.

Memorization is just trying to fit something into our mind for a short-term purpose. It can never serve a long-term purpose. For example those students who just memorize the answers and write them in the examination remember those answers and those chapters only till the time of the examination.

But learning is trying to fit something into our mind for as long as we live. Like drinking water, you will never forget how to drink water ever in your life, will you? So, you have learnt to drink water and not memorized the steps—like take some water in the glass, and then take it close to your mouth, hold the glass with your lips, and then sip water using your mouth. And those students who learn the chapters in the examination can retain those answers as long as they want.

So, the big question is, which one of these paths is correct? Before we answer this question, read this poem by Robert Frost called “The Road Not Taken”

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller, long I stood

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black,

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence;

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

In this poem, Robert Frost talks about a path that diverged in the woods (the forest). He says the he was confused to pick one path of those to reach his destination. He noticed that one path was worn out and there was no grass on it, and the other path was slightly less worn out and the path was grassier than the first path. And then, he decided to choose the grassier path instead of the more commonly-used path, and doubted if he should ever come back. And that has made all the difference in his life.

How is this poem related to today’s topic? Well, if you think closely, then both; today’s topic and also the poem are talking about two ways of gaining knowledge. Just like there were two paths in the poem, one more commonly-used one and the other less-commonly used one, similarly here to memorization is the more commonly-used method and learning is the less-commonly used method.

Why is memorization more commonly-used? Well it’s simply because it is easier. Students find it easy to memorize than to go into the depths of the topic. And when you go into the depths of the topic, it is only then you can learn something new, and that path would be the lesser-chosen path called learning.

Another question that might come in your mind is that how can these two create difference in the knowledge of ours? Am I not doing this to gain knowledge? Yes, you are gaining knowledge in either of these fields, but not only gaining knowledge is important, but also retaining the knowledge is important once you have gained the knowledge. You can only put stuff inside your brain, and spit it out on the exam sheet when you memorize, but when you learn, then you give a dedicated part of your mind to focus just on that thing, and you will not only be able to answer these questions, but also ask better questions.

If you can’t become a good learner, then you can’t become a good teacher, and if you can’t become a good teacher, then you can’t become a qualified professional, but just a certified “literate”. There are many students whom the schools promote to the next class after taking some monetary commission. Sad and sheer corruption, but this is true.  These students are what I call certified “literate”.

There are many people who confuse learning with memorization. Which means that if they see a person that has memorized something, then they automatically think that they have learnt. This, as we observed previously, is not true. You memorize the chapter, but you learn a lesson. Learn means making yourself familiar with the topic and memorizing means that just taking the words about them and remember them for a short-term purpose.

So, as a student, I would recommend you to be a learner, not a memorizer.