First, I want to apologize for my previous incomprehensible post. Looking back at it, it's pretty confusing. Anyway...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taylor
Rote memorization is a critical skill to have, and it's easily tested - in fact, I would argue that most standardized tests focus on memorization of facts. However, critical thinking, problem solving, understanding of processes, creativity, and being able to find material that isn't already between one's ears are arguably more important, but these aspects aren't commonly measured and evaluated. When rewards are evaluation- or merit-based, teachers are generally forced to teach toward memorization of facts, terms, and rules rather than investigate their use.
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I think this is what the author was getting at in the first place. Algebra is a wonderful skill to have, but if students are taught only "these are the steps to do something algebraic..." and don't gain any actual
skills, algebra loses its importance and becomes just a family of rules to remember. At that point, it doesn't help most people to have even "learned" algebra (I wouldn't call it learning, because it is only memorization), because it doesn't apply to their daily lives.