I had a professor who would "teach" world music....i took down notes, and got an 82 on the first test as i paraphrased each answer (blue book test, essay style answers). She wanted to know everything. So, i took down everything she said, word for word, not paying attention to the content meaning, but the content....i would then memorize 6 full pages of notes, word for word, and while it was worse than torture, i got 100 on the next tests. All that did was test my ability to memorize info, then dump it where appropriate. I didnt learn a damn thing in that class.
I had a professor who would "teach" world music....i took down notes, and got an 82 on the first test as i paraphrased each answer (blue book test, essay style answers). She wanted to know everything. So, i took down everything she said, word for word, not paying attention to the content meaning, but the content....i would then memorize 6 full pages of notes, word for word, and while it was worse than torture, i got 100 on the next tests. All that did was test my ability to memorize info, then dump it where appropriate. I didnt learn a damn thing in that class.
Thank you, Dr. Willingham, for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to reading your new book.