12-22-2001, 01:42 AM
Flashcards are the epitome of what is wrong with students these days. Memorization solves nothing. Blind repetition leads to mediocrity at best.
In high school there were the SAT flashcard kids. They tried to memorize every formula and every word. They could have actually learned how to do math, or even read a book to see words in context, but, alas, their goal was not to learn. It was to perform. Sure, they did better than average, 1100's usually. But the average student had no understanding and no flashcards. Some of the flashcard kids could have been quite smart if they tried to figure anything out for themselves. Instead they decided to chase dreams of success based on false pretenses. Study, study, study. It should have been learn, learn, understand. The worst part about the whole thing is that they see improvement from doing this, and thus begin their long journey to the middle. They do well enough to get by, but will never be truly successful because, well, they really do not know how to do anything.
In college there were the MCAT kids. They spent thousands of dollars on test prep courses and materials. Do they understand any of the material? Some of them. A lot of them don't. These people are repeaters, destined for average jobs and average lives doing menial tasks over and over until the day they die. It is sad. They are not bad people; in fact, they are usually very likable and hard working. They studied from their flashcards for hours and hours. They could tell you where the COOH group goes on all of those molecules. Do they know why? No. Can they apply it to anything. No. So what have they gained? A 24 or 25 on the MCATs and a place on the wait list of an average school where they will memorize for another 4 years and pay 160K to do it (if they are lucky enough to get off the wait list).
Sometimes just doing enough to get by is optimal. If one has no interest in a subject, but it is requisite that he be somewhat knowledgeable about it, memorization is ok. People do this for everything, however. I know so many "smart" people that aren't truly interested in anything. What is the point of life if this is the case? They are taught that performance is more important than understanding. It is a funny paradox, because in my experience, the people who did not study for the SAT's and MCAT's by spending hours reading flashcards did much better. They are the people everyone thinks is "naturally smart". This is not the case. They perform better because they actually understand things. They CHOOSE to try and understand things. When one is actually good at something, it will eventually show, and one who is only trying to seem as if he is will never reach his goals.
Thinking is hard, and people don't want to do it. I saw a guy in the mall the other day who was asking the cashier what 30% off of $110 was. I am sure he could have done this himself. From his dress/briefcase, it was clear that he was a white collar worker who at least professed to be a member of the "educated" segment of society. He was unwilling to do simple math in his head, however. Mental atrophy.
By giving these people their flashcards when they are in school, we teach them that there is an easy way around learning. I am not saying that it is always necessary to ask "why". It is clearly wrong to never ask "why", however.
Imagine a vertical line. This line represents knowledge. The higher up the line one goes, the more he knows. Of course, the information at the top is based on the information at the bottom. The smart people move up this line until they reach their mental capacity. The memorizer starts at the bottom and moves upwards in a widening gyre. He moves up, but gets more and more distant from the material itself. Eventually, the falcon cannot hear the falconer. Things fall apart. The center cannot hold.
It really angers me when people refuse to think. Consciousness is what makes us individuals. It is all we can be sure we have. By refusing to think, people become drones. It can be argued that worker bees are good for a functioning hive, but I hate to see people I like fall waste their lives like this. Think outside of the hive.
If you made is this far you've realized two things. I don't like it when people don't think for themselves, and I am a complete lunatic (I just figured that out when I reread what I wrote.)
Comments appreciated.
DOWN WITH THE FLASHCARD,
-Glenn, crazier than SPM AND the cat?
In high school there were the SAT flashcard kids. They tried to memorize every formula and every word. They could have actually learned how to do math, or even read a book to see words in context, but, alas, their goal was not to learn. It was to perform. Sure, they did better than average, 1100's usually. But the average student had no understanding and no flashcards. Some of the flashcard kids could have been quite smart if they tried to figure anything out for themselves. Instead they decided to chase dreams of success based on false pretenses. Study, study, study. It should have been learn, learn, understand. The worst part about the whole thing is that they see improvement from doing this, and thus begin their long journey to the middle. They do well enough to get by, but will never be truly successful because, well, they really do not know how to do anything.
In college there were the MCAT kids. They spent thousands of dollars on test prep courses and materials. Do they understand any of the material? Some of them. A lot of them don't. These people are repeaters, destined for average jobs and average lives doing menial tasks over and over until the day they die. It is sad. They are not bad people; in fact, they are usually very likable and hard working. They studied from their flashcards for hours and hours. They could tell you where the COOH group goes on all of those molecules. Do they know why? No. Can they apply it to anything. No. So what have they gained? A 24 or 25 on the MCATs and a place on the wait list of an average school where they will memorize for another 4 years and pay 160K to do it (if they are lucky enough to get off the wait list).
Sometimes just doing enough to get by is optimal. If one has no interest in a subject, but it is requisite that he be somewhat knowledgeable about it, memorization is ok. People do this for everything, however. I know so many "smart" people that aren't truly interested in anything. What is the point of life if this is the case? They are taught that performance is more important than understanding. It is a funny paradox, because in my experience, the people who did not study for the SAT's and MCAT's by spending hours reading flashcards did much better. They are the people everyone thinks is "naturally smart". This is not the case. They perform better because they actually understand things. They CHOOSE to try and understand things. When one is actually good at something, it will eventually show, and one who is only trying to seem as if he is will never reach his goals.
Thinking is hard, and people don't want to do it. I saw a guy in the mall the other day who was asking the cashier what 30% off of $110 was. I am sure he could have done this himself. From his dress/briefcase, it was clear that he was a white collar worker who at least professed to be a member of the "educated" segment of society. He was unwilling to do simple math in his head, however. Mental atrophy.
By giving these people their flashcards when they are in school, we teach them that there is an easy way around learning. I am not saying that it is always necessary to ask "why". It is clearly wrong to never ask "why", however.
Imagine a vertical line. This line represents knowledge. The higher up the line one goes, the more he knows. Of course, the information at the top is based on the information at the bottom. The smart people move up this line until they reach their mental capacity. The memorizer starts at the bottom and moves upwards in a widening gyre. He moves up, but gets more and more distant from the material itself. Eventually, the falcon cannot hear the falconer. Things fall apart. The center cannot hold.
It really angers me when people refuse to think. Consciousness is what makes us individuals. It is all we can be sure we have. By refusing to think, people become drones. It can be argued that worker bees are good for a functioning hive, but I hate to see people I like fall waste their lives like this. Think outside of the hive.
If you made is this far you've realized two things. I don't like it when people don't think for themselves, and I am a complete lunatic (I just figured that out when I reread what I wrote.)
Comments appreciated.
DOWN WITH THE FLASHCARD,
-Glenn, crazier than SPM AND the cat?