Rote memorization involves repeating information enough times with the hopes that it will stick. Trying to remember a physics formula by repeating it to yourself dozens of times is learning by rote. This also a poor way to learn.If you read the story about the student from the last section, you can probably see that smart people don’t learn by rote. Do you think Niels Borh, as a young physics student, had formulas memorized in his head? Coming up with so many unique ways to solve a physics problem, it was the opposite. He understood what every symbol in the formula meant, and knew why it was there. He knew the rules so he knew how to break them. Holistic learning is a theory for learning that more accurately describes how your brain works. Your brain isn’t the same as a computer filing system. Computer files are stored in strips of 1’s and 0’s in locations on a hard drive. Your brain stores information as associations between billions of neurons. Rote memorization might work if we had computer brains. All it would take is an accurate copy of information and you could memorize anything.Unfortunately, we don’t have computer brains and that is why rote memorization is a less effective way to learn.
Holistic learning takes a different approach.Instead of trying to memorize information by making a perfect copy in your brain, it uses the web of neurons you have. Holistic learning creates webs of information. One idea relates to another idea. That interrelating of ideas allows you to easily navigate through complete understandings.With holistic learning, ideas aren’t learned in isolation. If you follow holistic learning closely enough, you’ll soon realize that it is impossible to learn an idea in isolation. Learning anything requires associations. The more associations you can create and the stronger those associations are, the better.
Rote memorization would suggest learning fits into neat little boxes. A box for math containing algebra, arithmetic and calculus. Your calculus box contains more boxes for how to find the derivative of a function, and a few common applications of those rules. Nowhere does your calculus box contain information on biology, history or the plot of a science fiction movie. But learning doesn’t fit into boxes. Learning fits into webs. A holistic learner wouldn’t take such an organized approach to storing information (which might explain why so many smart people have horrible organization skills). Instead holistic learners connect everything. A derivative isn’t just a formula, it’s a feeling, an image and you can relate it to flying a supersonic jet. Rote memorization seems to make sense when you can’t see the alternative.When you don’t know the steps learning should follow and lack techniques to move through those steps, simply pounding information in your skull seems to work. This is like a caveman using a rock to hunt mammoths instead of a rifle. Until you understand the steps and techniques for learning, rote memorization is crude and inefficient, but it still works better than nothing.