X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product GuideSign in
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

Why children should not be learning through rote methods

2 min read
Why children should not be learning through rote methods

Any educational program that stresses rote memory is at odds with our intrinsic brain design. Rote-memorizing imposes autistic-like routines on our otherwise healthy conceptual minds.

Brain power

Children should not be learning through rote methods

At the recent Singapore National Education Conference, Professor Allan Snyder (PhD), director of The Centre for the Mind and a co-founder of Emotiv Systems shared why normal children should not be learning through rote methods.

Professor Snyder holds degrees from Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University College, London.

To explain his point Professor Snyder shared the example of a 3 year-old autistic savant artist who is able to draw pictures with photographic realism, but yet cannot appreciate the meaning. He contrasted this to normal children, who do not draw exactly what they see. They draw symbols of what they know — caricatures and concepts — without being able to consciously recall or reproduce the actual details that comprise the concept.

This just goes to show that our brains have developed to extract meaning and formulate concepts. Once a concept arises, we inhibit the literal details that make up its meaning. So any educational program that stresses rote memory is at odds with our intrinsic brain design. “Rote-memorizing imposes autistic-like routines on our otherwise healthy conceptual minds. The autistic mind is so concerned with specific details that it has difficulty grasping the big picture,” shares Professor Snyder.

He goes on to add that a healthy mind actually finds it difficult to memorize facts divorced from meaning. It is meaning that ties facts together into a coherent framework. “The healthy mind rapidly grasps the gist of things, effortlessly recalling situations as a whole. So, we need to teach through big picture concepts, by emphasizing the essence of things. Our minds are exquisitely tuned to receiving this kind of information.”

He further discounts the need for rote learning by expounding that through the Google revolution, rote memorizing has literally become redundant. “All of us can now instantly acquire knowledge about anything. Mere factual knowledge no longer commands the respect and admiration that it once did.”

He suggests that educators take advantage of this by spending less time on drills and formulas, and more time on nurturing creativity. “Creative minds weave disparate facts into a new synthesis, taking ideas from one domain and combining them imaginatively with ideas from another domain, building something new. This is what educational programs should cultivate.”

Partner Stories
Learn Tech and Media Skills, Gain Industry Exposure and Build a Portfolio. Here’s How Your Child Can Benefit from an Infocomm or Media CCA!
Learn Tech and Media Skills, Gain Industry Exposure and Build a Portfolio. Here’s How Your Child Can Benefit from an Infocomm or Media CCA!
NTUC First Campus (NFC) Expands Child Support Model to Include Support for Mental Well-being
NTUC First Campus (NFC) Expands Child Support Model to Include Support for Mental Well-being
NTU Singapore and Marshall Cavendish Education Collaborate to Develop Online Courses for K12 Educators
NTU Singapore and Marshall Cavendish Education Collaborate to Develop Online Courses for K12 Educators
Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists and Engineers With 3M Girls Can Tinker Program
Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists and Engineers With 3M Girls Can Tinker Program

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

Roshni Mahtani

  • Home
  • /
  • Education
  • /
  • Why children should not be learning through rote methods
Share:
  • Stress-Free Study Tips: How Parents Can Help Their Children Learn A New Language

    Stress-Free Study Tips: How Parents Can Help Their Children Learn A New Language

  • 8 Fun Nursery Rhymes to Teach Your Toddler

    8 Fun Nursery Rhymes to Teach Your Toddler

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • Wife Forgives Husband Who Had Two Affairs And Got A Woman Pregnant

    Wife Forgives Husband Who Had Two Affairs And Got A Woman Pregnant

  • Stress-Free Study Tips: How Parents Can Help Their Children Learn A New Language

    Stress-Free Study Tips: How Parents Can Help Their Children Learn A New Language

  • 8 Fun Nursery Rhymes to Teach Your Toddler

    8 Fun Nursery Rhymes to Teach Your Toddler

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • Wife Forgives Husband Who Had Two Affairs And Got A Woman Pregnant

    Wife Forgives Husband Who Had Two Affairs And Got A Woman Pregnant

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and lifestyle updates.