We live in the “Internet age” when the memorization of facts is scorned because “you can always look it up.” Teachers instinctively know there is a seed of truth to this idea, but it is generally a dangerous philosophy. A 2000 paper in the American Educator explores this topic effectively and is worth reading:
‘You Can Always Look It Up’… or Can You?
E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
American Educator, Spring 2000
A couple of excerpts may provide motivation to go read the whole article:
“Their studies provide insight into the paradox that you can successfully look something up only if you already know quite a lot about the subject.”
“To make it worthwhile to look something up, you already need to know 95% of the words.”
I came across the above article reading this blog entry, which is also worth reading:
“Memory Cannot be Outsourced”
The Wing to Heaven blog by Daisy Christodoulou
And here is another thoughtful take on the same subject.
“Kids These Days: Why They Think Differently and What We Should Do About It”
Dan Olinger
BJU Press White Paper