Young people who learn by rote, say some education experts, are more easily manipulated and indoctrinated. Under an improved education system, students will learn tolerance and open-mindedness, some say. But others argue that tempering religious extremism is more complicated.I understand this cynicism, but, surely, rote education is a key part of the problem of terrorism, and learning how to think is a benefit in itself. Yet do we Americans, who have shunned rote learning for so long, really have such a wonderful capacity for critical thinking? I think we do, much more than we tend to appreciate, because it is so normal. We're skeptical of anyone trying to sell us anything, and we can't stop criticizing anyone with any power who tries to accomplish anything.
"So much is involved in the problem of preventing extremism," says one foreign development agency expert, who was not authorized to speak on the record. "It's not just a question of stopping rote memorization in schools."
Go ahead and prove my point by telling me what bullshit this is.
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21 comments:
Brilliant, insightful, and complex, as usual!
Brilliant, insightful, and complex, as usual!
Brilliant, insightful, and complex, as usual!
Brilliant, insightful, and complex, as usual!
Brilliant, insightful, and complex, as usual!
Brilliant, insightful, and complex, as usual!
lol, thats a little intemperate.
You learn penmenship through....rote learning
You learn typing through...rote learning
You learn grammer rules through...rote learning
You learn math facts through...rote learning
You learn facts through ..... rote learning.
Rote learning is a vital componant of education. Once you have learned some basic facts, you then have the basis for being creative.
So...have I proved you right?
I think there's a real critical thinking deficit on the political Left at the moment. Instapundit recently linked to a post of yours about the way people on the left tended to take an adversarial stance with you rather than construct an argument.
I think its biggest downfall is that tendency to take a moralistic versus analytic view of politics. The assumption is that it's unnecessary to spell out something that should be obvious to right-minded people. Too many positions are regarded as sacrosanct and therefore out of bounds for debate (abortion, affirmative action, etc.) which isn't the case on the Right - stereotypes notwithstanding.
As a moderate, that's one quality on the Left that alienates the hell out of me. Most of the people in my life are far more politically liberal than I am, but simply assume I'm on the same page because they like me. I don't know any conservatives who would make that sort of assumption.
Well, if they stop teaching people that everyone who's not Muslim is an infidel, that might help too.
Egypt is reforming education to shift away from rote memorization and toward critical thinking: rote memorization no child left behind
As long as we're doing post revivals (as Jen mentioned and I just wrote about in a newer post), here's an old post of mine about rote memorization, which has some positive things to say about it.
I would like to think that American Citizens are better at critical thinking than other peoples, but my education in psychology, in marketing techniques, in mathematics, in economics, and experience in electoral politics tells me otherwise.
Do you have any evidence, or just your own anecdotes?
And do you think you could frame your posts so that folks would be able to disagree with you without being accused of just trying to attack you?
If American's were so good at critical thinking, would PIPA have found in 2003 that 60 percent of the people held fundamental misperceptions about the war in Iraq and the links to Al Qaeda?
And that more Republicans than Democrats and more Fox News Viewers than NPR Viewers and more Law Professor Bloggers than engineering blog commenters held these absolutely incorrect views?
Again, if you have evidence, post it. Otherwise, please refrain from more rote bloviating and table pounding.
Thank you.
Rote learning probably still has it's useful place in education. The real differance is the willingness to ask why? When policies change at work we asky "why are they changing this?". We question answers that are given to us.
And Quxxo, lots of American citizens also believe things false things like 'Iraq was a kite flying utopia before we invaded'. I'd guess those people aren't as prone to watch Fox.
Let's hear it for non-critical thinking.
Stream-of-consciousness, baby!
Sorry; listening to R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It." At full volume.
(And I feel fine ... )
; )
Was that too "OT"?
Do you need to use a calculator to figure out your share of the lunch bill?
If so, I think perhaps you could have used a little MORE rote learning.
(Would anybody care to define "rote" here? It seems that "rote" carries some negative connotations, but I'm not at all sure that everyone agrees on what is meant by the word.)
I am crushed.
Never will I post here again, chased away by the gammer and spellin police.
Actually, my deficiency comes from general lack of ability (my english major parents despaired) and an over reliance on spell checkers, of which blogger does not provide one for comments.
Over reliance on technology has made my typing slipshod and my spelling become all the worse.
Which is why computers do not belong in grade school
I think you're right that we take our critical thinking style for granted.
An Iraqi girl came to the US as an exchange student and said that America is the greatest country because it demands this kind of independent thinking and that results in freedom and achievement. Egyptian and Iraqi bloggers have always said that their education, even in medical school, is by rote. No questions, no arguments, allowed. Even the military is having a hard time changing that culture with the new Iraqi army, which has consequences for how they perform together.
Interesting study about fundamentalism and literacy, showing that as literacy rates rise, fundamentalism falls. Literary introduces doubt, and doubt is good. Heck, can't find the link.
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