Memorization vs Deep Learning: How to Get Good Grades and Actually Learn Things, Without Overworking Yourself

I have a confession: I know almost nothing about history.

You might be thinking, “Well, that’s not so bad, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.” Which is a totally reasonable statement, and one I would generally agree with. Especially if I was just mediocre at history.

But no, my inability to remember even the most basic, common knowledge aspects of history is frankly embarrassing. Like, if you asked me about the Vietnam War, all I could tell you is that it was a war, probably in Vietnam. Notice that both those pieces of information are literally contained in the phrase “Vietnam War.”

In light of my near complete ignorance of all things history, one would expect my history grades to be terrible. In reality, I got straight A’s in every history class I took.

How is that possible? I’m so glad you asked.

How I Aced History Without Learning Anything

To be clear, this isn’t something I intentionally set out to do. At the time I was taking history classes, I believed that I was learning things. And the grades I got reflected that notion, so I had no reason to question it. After all, if someone gets good grades, that means they must have learned something, right?

It was only later in life that I realized I was clueless about almost all historical facts, even those that were fairly universal common knowledge. If I were to give myself a grade for general history knowledge, it would probably be a D- (only a tiny step above complete ignorance). And yet, somehow I managed to do very well in my history classes.

You might be thinking, “Well, you graduated high school over a decade ago, so maybe you just forgot it all.” And while that may be a piece of it, I actually don’t think it’s the biggest factor. Rather, I think the core issue is that I never really learned it in the first place.

Specifically, I never learned the big picture: how historical events related to each other, and why I should care about them. I simply memorized the set of facts required for the upcoming test, and forgot them almost immediately afterwards. Thus, I was able to get good grades on the tests, without actually learning anything meaningful, or retaining any of the information in the long term.

The Problem With Memorization

Our schooling system rewards certain skills, such as memorization, which may or may not correspond to actual learning. I could get on my soap box about how courses should be designed differently, to promote actual learning rather than rote memorization. But, given that this blog is for students, I think it would be more helpful to approach it from the student perspective, taking into account the realities of the school system we currently have.

If you’re good at memorization, chances are you lean on it heavily in your schoolwork. And why wouldn’t you? If you can remember things well enough to regurgitate them on the test and get acceptable grades, it makes sense to do so. And, maybe that system also allows you to see the big picture and actually understand the topics you’re studying. If so, that’s awesome! Whatever you’re doing, keep on doing it.

On the other hand, perhaps you use a lot of memorization but feel like you often miss the bigger picture. This might look like studying hard before a test, only to forget everything you learned right afterward. One could argue this system is bad because you don’t really learn anything. On the other hand, one could also see this system (memorize and forget) as an efficient use of brain space to accomplish one’s goal (good grades).

Although school is theoretically about learning, often grades are the only thing that’s emphasized. So, it makes sense that many students end up in this cycle of memorizing and forgetting, because that’s what the school system rewards. If you find that you care about grades more than learning, I get it. Students are under a lot of pressure, and although we’re all supposed to care about learning for its own sake, the harsh reality is that grades are what get results.

So, assuming you care more about grades than learning (a reasonable stance) and want to avoid extra work (also reasonable), why would you go to the extra effort of deep learning? The way I see it, there are two practical reasons: to be prepared for higher-level classes, and to save time and effort.

Preparing for Higher-Level Classes

This one is pretty straightforward. Memorizing everything for a test and then forgetting it all may work for a single class. But what about the next class, which may build on the material you supposedly learned? If you don’t remember anything from the previous class (or classes), that’s going to make things much more difficult for you later. So, gaining a more thorough understanding of the material may actually save time and effort in the long run.

Saving Time with Deep Learning

Of course, you may not be planning to take higher-level classes in a particular subject. And honestly, as long as you finish a subject before hitting the ceiling of your memorization abilities, you might not encounter any real problems. That’s essentially what happened to me with history classes: As soon as they were no longer required, I stopped taking them, so rote memorization was adequate for getting the grades I wanted.

However, there are certainly situations where deep learning can actually save you time and effort, even within a single class. For the sake of consistency, I would love to give an example related to history. But, as previously discussed, my history knowledge is essentially non-existent. So, I’m going to use an example from physics.

Suppose you’re learning about the ideal gas law, and your teacher presents you with the following set of equations:

PV = nRT

P = nRT / V

V = ​nRT / P

n = PV / RT

T = PV / nR

Rote Memorization Approach

If you’re using a pure memorization approach, you would dutifully write down and memorize all five equations. Then, during the test, you would figure out which equation applies and use it to solve the problem. This approach would certainly work, provided you can actually remember them all and know how to use them.

However, that’s a lot of equations to memorize. And they’re all different combinations of the same letters, so it would be easy to mix up which one goes where in each equation. For most students, it would take quite a while to memorize them properly. And after that, you still need to learn when and how to use each of the five equations.

Deep Learning Approach

Now imagine you decide to take a deep learning approach, aiming to understand the bigger picture. What do these equations have in common? They all have the same five variables. And how do these equations relate to each other? If you know basic algebra, you might notice that they’re actually all the same equation. The only difference is which variable has been solved for.

Since they’re all variants of the same equation, you really only need to memorize the first one, PV = nRT. This saves a lot of time, and allows you to solidify the one equation you do need to memorize. Focusing on one equation also saves time (and potential errors) when you take the test. Once you recognize a particular question as an ideal gas law problem, you can then use the single equation and method you’ve practiced, without the extra step of having to figure out which of the five equations applies.

The end result is you’re less likely to misremember the equation, or forget how to use it. So, you’re likely to do better on the test, even having put in less time and effort than memorizing all five equations individually.

Clearly, I’m a pretty big proponent of understanding material rather than simply memorizing things. Even if it feels uncomfortable at first (as anything new will), in the long run it often saves time and effort. In light of that, you might be wondering…

Should You Avoid Memorizing Altogether?

The short answer is: No!

Memorization definitely has its place, both in learning and in getting good grades. So definitely don’t take this post to mean you should never use it. In fact, memorization techniques are one of my special interests, and I’ve found them extremely useful throughout my academic career.

The issue arises when you rely solely on rote memorization, without regard for gaining a deeper understanding of the big picture. In addition to missing out on learning, an overreliance on memorization can actually create more work in both the short and long term.

Relying solely on memorization in school is like trying to build a house using only a hammer. You could perhaps build something passable, but it would be more efficient to use a variety of tools. You’ll end up with a sturdier house and save time in the long run, despite the initial effort of learning how to use additional tools.

However, just because you’ve learned how to use other tools, doesn’t mean you should put down the hammer forever. In certain situations, a hammer might be exactly what you need. Similarly, memorization has its time and place in academics. Let’s go over some situations where memorization would be useful.

When To Memorize Something

In general, I would say it makes sense to use memorization in two situations: as a “seed” for future knowledge, or when you have no other option.

Memorization as a “Seed” for Future Knowledge

Suppose you’re learning a new word: hypoglycemia. Ideally, you would be able to connect that to your prior knowledge. Perhaps you’re already familiar with one or more of the roots in this word, and can use that information to figure out what it means.

For this example, let’s assume you don’t know any related words. You could learn hypoglycemia as a single chunk, and memorize that it means “low blood sugar.” However, it might serve you better to memorize the component parts instead: “hypo” meaning low, and “glycemia” meaning blood sugar. Putting the parts together, you would then know that hypoglycemia means low blood sugar.

In this example, you did have to memorize some things. However, learning the roots in this word will make learning similar words easier. For example, consider the word hypokalemia. You may not know what “kalemia” means, but from the “hypo” you can at least determine that something is too low.

In this way, memorizing the meaning of “hypo” acted as a seed for future knowledge, saving time in the long run.

Memorization as a Last Resort

Of course, there will be some situations where you simply have no choice but to memorize something, and that information may not link to future learning.

Before concluding that memorization is your only option, I would suggest asking your teacher if there’s any context you’re missing. If they were taking this class, would they memorize all these pieces of information separately? Or are there connections that would reduce the amount of rote memorization?

If your teacher says that rote memorization is the only option, then go ahead and memorize the information using whatever method works best for you. If you struggle with memorizing things effectively, I would suggest a combination of Anki flashcards (available for free online) and the methods described in The Memory Book by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas.

Conclusion

Although good grades and learning are often seen as the same thing, it is very possible to get good grades without learning anything. Many students fall into the pattern of memorizing as much as possible before a test, and immediately forgetting it afterward. Although this strategy may result in good grades, it often leads to a suboptimal understanding of the bigger picture.

Even if good grades are your primary goal, consistently favoring memorization over deep learning can be problematic. It can make future classes more difficult (as they may build on material you never really learned), and it can be costly in terms of time and effort, even within a single class.

Although memorization certainly has its place in academics, focusing on deep learning can save you time and effort, and build the foundation you need to succeed in future classes.

If you’d like more individualized support with implementing deep learning into your studies, we can help. Click here to book a free consultation for one-on-one support.