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[-] Thorry84@feddit.nl 194 points 2 months ago

Is this an American thing? We did absolutely not have to memorize any of that thing. We had to understand the structure, why the rows and columns etc. But memorizing it serves no purpose.

With every class including tests and exams we were allowed to use a reference book. This book was pretty thick and contained a whole lot of info including the periodic table and all the info about elements you could ever need.

I think my education (keep in mind this was 25 years ago) was focused more on the why and less on the what. If you understand why something is the way it is, the reason behind it and how to use it, you know a lot more than just being a flesh book that can list a bunch of facts.

[-] krashmo@lemmy.world 108 points 2 months ago

It's easier to verify rote memorization than actual understanding so naturally shitty schools focus on the former at the expense of the latter. Most American schools are shitty by academic standards.

[-] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 31 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

You're not kidding. Public school in the city.

There were so many dumb things I had to memorize. Periodic table. Solar system moon and planets. Multiplication table.

Even worse is the people who see memory as intelligence because of that BS. I remember working at a office and the boss made Steve, the guy who knew 15 digits of Pi, his right hand man. Steve is currently still working there. Congrats Steve your superior memory apparently can't get you out of your deadend job.

[-] NutinButNet@hilariouschaos.com 6 points 2 months ago

If you haven’t already, you should watch Mystery Team specifically for the character of Duncan “Boy Genius” who absolutely fits this characterization to a T.

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this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2024
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