By: Caden Dillon & Abi Lenze
With students taking six to eight classes a day, it comes as no surprise that most choose to cram the night before an exam rather than apply their knowledge to real-world situations. Many students believe they won’t need these things later in life, so they don’t learn in ways that help them retain information. However, it could be argued that this is not entirely on the students but on the teachers and their expectations in the classroom. In order to maximize academics and the learning process, there needs to be more buy-in by students, and teachers need to present the information in ways that will aid cognitive development.
Learning v. Memorization
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, learning is “knowledge or skill acquired by instruction or study”. Contrarily, memorization deals with compacting information into short-term recall that is likely to be quickly forgotten when not utilized. High school students are masters at memorizing what is needed in the moment and then forgetting all the material immediately after. The “cram and remember” technique is the lowest tier on Bloom’s Taxonomy chart – a tool used by educators to explain the different levels of understanding in students. Unfortunately, most students are not intrinsically motivated to climb this ladder and morph their basic cognitive skills into something more complex. Students should be aiming to be able to create new ideas using the information they are given, or the sixth level on Bloom’s Taxonomy Chart. Student buy-in is the key to their success in school. Like anything, if students put their mind to it, they can do it.
Why Students Rely on Memorization and the Consequences
Though some would argue that students are lazy and not willing to put in the time or effort into learning new information, this is not always true. Ultimately, what seems to hold student learning back are time constraints, a focus on quantity over quality, and short-term academic success. Teachers are under immense pressure to pack excessive amounts of learning into four-nine-week periods – and sometimes even into two. Units are moved through quickly, as their job is to make sure that all standards are covered. However, this takes away from the ability to delve into topics further or encourage more creative methods of thinking. Repeat this for eight classes a day, and suddenly, the most logical thing to do is focus only on what is needed for exams. Students have been taught how to test rather than how to learn; thus, the cram, test, forget, repeat mantra of high school.
True Learning
Midterms and end-of-course exams are often used in the review of large amounts of information in a particular course. Recently, however, many teachers have been opting for an end-of-course project for students to show what they have learned. Government teacher Doug Craver stated that “using a variety of ways to teach and test information is important so they retain it better”. This emphasizes understanding over recall, allowing students to use real-world applications and open-ended questions to further their understanding of the topic. Shifting away from high-pressure exams focused on information learned that week toward discussions, practice exercises, and reflection will allow students to receive constructive feedback on the material and guide them toward improvement, rather than receiving a grade and moving on to the next unit.
The contrast between true learning and quick memorization highlights a deeper issue in education. While memorization allows for short-term success, it often fails to provide lasting understanding or skill development. Students who focus on memorization may struggle with enhanced critical thinking, poor knowledge retention, and difficulty applying concepts in new situations, showing the consequences of moving rapidly through topics. Ultimately, adopting true learning not only improves academic outcomes but also equips students with the skills they need to think, adapt, and succeed beyond the classroom.
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