IRMC Region 2 Math Teacher Resources

To Memorize or Not to Memorize? NCTM July 2023 (no membership required to read)

Memorization seems to be a hot topic currently and, for that matter, for many years in the past. How often have you heard, “If only they had their basic facts memorized”? This perceived lack of knowledge of basic facts often gets used as an excuse when students struggle rather than looking at current instructional practices or examining the content taught to determine relevance. Too often, students get sorted by how quickly they can find the answers to basic facts—and after they are sorted, their experiences learning mathematics vary significantly. Those who don’t do the problems quickly enough get put into groups and tracks where students do activity sheets repeatedly while those who were faster are in groups and tracks where they reason and make sense of mathematics.

Do I want my students to have the basic facts memorized? Yes, and most teachers probably agree because it allows students’ working memories to be free to focus on new concepts. Do I want my students to learn those basic facts ONLY through memorization? No! 

So often mathematics educators complain about the lack of number sense; it is no wonder that this is the case because so many students memorize basic facts rather than using strategies to make sense of them. I would much rather have a student who learns that 8 + 9 = 17 by initially thinking of it as 8 + 10 –1 than one who has just memorized the fact through flash cards, timed tests, and other similar means. (read the rest of the article by clicking here)