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Memorisation is a Key Part of Learning – So Why Do We Talk About it in Such Negative Language?

Students echoing words without comprehension may serve little or no purpose, but in terms of freeing up working memory space, memorisation is essential to learning, says Aaron Kerrigan

Aaron Kerrigan
by Aaron Kerrigan
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Perhaps I read too much into things, but it often feels like there is a lingering aversion to getting pupils actively to memorise content, which permeates certain quarters of the profession.

One need only look at the pejorative language commonly used to refer to such activities to detect this antipathy; words and phrases such as ‘drill and kill’, ‘mindlessly recite’, ‘parrot’, and ‘regurgitate’ quickly come to mind.

In many respects, it is easy to understand the weariness surrounding memorisation. It is certainly true that a person can be taught to recite vast passages without having any understanding of what they are actually saying; as a child, I learnt many prayers that I did not fully understand until years later.

For many, having students echo words without comprehension serves little or no purpose. For others, the traditional practices associated with memorisation are a little too mundane and Gradgrindian – they call to mind images of browbeaten pupils being subjected to soulless and monotonous repetition.

For others still, it’s a process that has been rendered obsolete by the online age – why expend time and energy committing something to memory when you could look it up in a matter of seconds?

Deeper understanding

There was a time when I found all of these arguments persuasive to varying degrees, but I am now convinced that they overlook the significance of committing information to long-term memory.

Much has been written about the importance of memorisation for freeing up working memory and for constructing mental schemas: quite simply, comprehension depends on it.

When we read and understand something with ease, we are able to do so because we have committed enough of the words and their meanings to long-term memory.

Imagine trying to read a passage of text consisting of a significant amount of unfamiliar words, resulting in you having to look them up in the dictionary as you go along – the chances are you would struggle to comprehend the passage, as your working memory would become overloaded.

This is the reason why we find it more challenging to read texts from disciplines of which we have little knowledge.

As of 2015, the GCSE English Literature exams have all been closed book. For many, this has been a source of ire, but I sincerely believe it has benefited the pupils I teach.

Indeed, given the choice, I can honestly say that I would not switch back to open book exams.

In my opinion, despite having more to remember for the tests, the Year 11 group I had last year understood the texts better than any GCSE group I have ever taught before, and I largely attribute this to the time we spent committing key information to memory.

A source of pride

Of course, like everything in teaching, rote learning can be done badly. There is little point in having pupils echo words or phrases that they do not understand.

However, a simple remedy for this is to break down the content you wish your pupils to learn into manageable chunks and make sure that they understand every word; which is something that can be achieved easily enough through clear explanations and repeated quizzing.

Memorisation need not be Gradgrindian.

Whilst it is possible that I am mistaken (or deluded!), I genuinely do not get the impression that my pupils find it unpleasant; they may not always find it especially enthralling, but they gain tremendous satisfaction from showing off what they have remembered, and they often beam with pride when they are able to recite Shakespeare or other powerful literature.

In my experience, the key to the success of memorisation is setting the pupils an achievable amount of content to learn, and making sure that previous content is repeatedly revisited.

It goes without saying that there is more to learning than memorisation alone, but it is an incredibly important facet of education, and we should not shy away from it.

I really do hope that any prevailing stigma surrounding memorisation dissipates and that more teachers come to appreciate its utility. And a step in the right direction would be to stop using the pejoratives and go back to calling it ‘learning by heart’.


Aaron Kerrigan is an English and media studies teacher and literacy coordinator at Newlands Girls’ School in Maidenhead. Follow him on Twitter at @A_R_Kerrigan

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