1. Value in memory work (Ong Soon Leong, ST Forum, 17/2, pA23)
ROTE learning is often said to be the mere memorisation of large amounts of text without understanding the subject ("Weed out outdated rote learning" by Mr Terence Lee Xin Jin; yesterday).
This is a misconception.
My research of students from China studying at some of our local universities shows that rote learning is an integral part of learning in that country.
Students exercise their long-term memory power followed by in-depth understanding of what they have memorised. They do not just memorise without understanding.
It is true that one can find most information using Google today, but Googling is not allowed during an examination. Every answer to an examination question, whether it is a recall or application question, must come from students' memory.
Knowledge is, therefore, never useless; it is just waiting to be used at an appropriate time. This is what all top students have in common - super memory.
The call to revamp our education system to do away with the so-called "traditional method" of learning is unnecessary.
Singapore's education system has evolved to become one of the best in the world. The fact that schools in the United States are using our mathematics textbooks is a testament to this.
I do, however, agree that we must try to make learning fun and enjoyable, which is more easily achievable. Some Singapore groups are already working on it; let us hope it will benefit our students soon.
2. Rote learning not the cause of long school hours (Damon Tan Jie Hui, ST Forum, 17/2, pA23)
HAVING recently completed junior college education, I understand the dread of rote learning students face ("Weed out outdated rote learning" by Mr Terence Lee Xin Jin; yesterday).
However, I disagree that stress and fatigue will be reduced when lesser rote learning is required.
Subjects like mathematics require immense practice, yet actual memorisation is minimal.
Decreasing the recall components of other subjects would hardly reduce stress, since "rote learning" questions would be replaced by "thinking" questions, which still demand substantial practice.
Lessons lasting till the evening hardly stem from "memory lessons" (most teachers do not make students memorise). Rather, extended tutorials and discussions on thinking questions or endless practice papers make up most of the prolonged curriculum hours.
For the sciences, memory work has already been reduced to the bare minimum; if it were reduced further, clarity of the subject matter may be affected.
While Google is a fair substitute for memory, rote learning is still essential, as memorising certain fundamentals greatly helps learning. For example, memorising algebraic manipulation rules in secondary school greatly helps understanding, despite the availability of the rules online.
Rote learning at junior college often forms the fundamentals of varsity education. I have forgotten quite a lot of what I have learnt in junior college, yet information related to my field forms the basis of my university education.