Every Puzzle Piece Becomes a Heavy Weight
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The anti-memorization movement has left millions of students unable to think.
Every little operation consumes their working memory.
Higher-order thinking becomes impossible.
Here’s an example:
Solving an equation is like moving puzzle pieces around.
When basic arithmetic is automatic, the pieces are easy to move.
You can focus on figuring out how they fit together.
But …
If you have to recalculate every basic fact, then every puzzle piece becomes a heavy weight.
All your effort goes into lifting it.
You have little brainpower left to figure out where it belongs.
You can’t see the forest for the trees.
The same thing happens all the way up math, from arithmetic to algebra to calculus and beyond.
Each level builds on the skills below it.
If those skills aren’t automatic, they’ll consume your brainpower.
None will be left for higher-order thinking.
Further reading:
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