Does memorization even matter when you can “just Google it”?

[Check out the original EdCircuit article written by our CEO, Andrew Cohen: ‘Does memorization still matter in education?’]

In an age when all that stands between us and the knowledge we seek is a question away, spoken or typed into our all-seeing and all-knowing devices, memorization has started to feel like a bit of a waste of time. (It’s also hard, so that doesn’t help matters.)

I mean, people used to have to remember phone numbers and now, there are probably only two you can recite by heart, one of which is probably your own.

So the question is: does memorization even matter anymore when you can “just Google it?” Moreover, does it matter in education when all the knowledge and information you could ever need can be instantly available to you with a swift search command?

Shouldn’t educational institutions focus on training students’ abilities to think critically and build skills rather than squandering their time on the mentally rigorous exercise of ingraining knowledge?

Let me answer those questions with the question:

Would you be comfortable if your doctor typed up your symptoms in WebMD and made a treatment decision based on the results? Or if your car mechanic pulled out her phone to ask Alexa how to uninstall an alternator? Or if your lawyer requested a brief recess from trial so that they could run a database search for relevant precedents?

The answer is a most resounding NO.?

Doctors need to memorize many facts about human biology, diseases, symptoms, medications, contraindications, and side effects to provide safe, effective care.?

Architects need to memorize countless math, physics, and engineering principles to design structurally-sound buildings efficiently.?

Scientists need to memorize textbooks’ worth of chemistry concepts, laws, and formulae to safely and effectively innovate new medications and products.

And so on…

Can you imagine a world where these professions (and virtually every other) would succeed without systematically acquiring a knowledge bank?

Memorization matters. It’ll always matter. It’s what allows humankind to progress, excel, and provide high-quality care, services, products, and advice!

And, yet, “memorization” has become a dirty word in education; maligned thanks to its association with boring drilling exercises and learning by rote, which implies trivial, surface-level learning.

(In fact, since leaving school or college, most of us become totally divorced from the mental exercise of trying to memorize anything simply because our technology has taken that task off of our plates.)

But if, however, we reframe “memorization” as the suite of learning tactics — like spaced repetition — that takes knowledge and permanently encodes it in the brain, those unfavorable connotations fall away, as they should.

All high-level thinking is based on a foundation of knowledge, and a student cannot progress in their education if they don’t remember what they learned last week, last month, and last year. Similarly, any adult cannot progress in their lifelong learning (or certainly not nearly as efficiently) if they don’t make the effort to remember what they learned through their work, business ventures, conversations, endeavors, risks taken, and books, etc. in a more systematic way.

Sure, with enough hands-on practice, that knowledge can become ingrained in their minds, but it doesn’t come close to the remarkable efficiency of drill practice using spaced repetition.

So, the next time you’re encountered with the difficulty of memorizing information to advance your proficiency in any subject or skill, remember this. It’s hard, but it’s the swiftest, most systematized way to advance you towards your goals, particularly when paired with boots-on-the-ground experience.

And if you’re still unconvinced, ask yourself: would you trust a doctor who wanted to Google your symptoms?

Hey, if you liked this article, you might also like:

• Teachers: Why rote memorization is more important than you think
• How we learn: the secret to all learning & human development
• Is waking up early bullsh*t?