A lot of tests do require memorization on a macro scale. This is a failure of education systems to adjust to the climate of the current technology and the availability of information. I've had to study units that are basically entirely memorization. I don't enjoy them, and it's useless. Why do I have to emulate google? The existing one is really good already.
Originally Posted by ImmortalCow
A lot of tests do require memorization on a macro scale. This is a failure of education systems to adjust to the climate of the current technology and the availability of information. I've had to study units that are basically entirely memorization. I don't enjoy them, and it's useless. Why do I have to emulate google? The existing one is really good already.
Inclined to agree. I had a biochem exam last week that was almost purely "vomit up some minutiae you memorized 10 minutes before the exam," and it was just a complete waste of my time. I'm about 99% sure that actual scientists don't memorize shit like the exact stoichiometries of all the reactions in photosynthesis - if they need to know that for some reason they'll just look it up.
I'd much rather be a scientist who has to look some facts up but actually knows what to do with them than one who can say lots of words and numbers but hasn't got a fucking clue what they mean.
I realize that maybe it's harder to write tests where (God forbid) you actually have to apply concepts in novel ways, and I realize that those types of tests don't tend to be popular with students (Oh my god, we actually have to think about the concepts?!), but making people memorize and vomit up details that no self-respecting professional would bother memorizing is not the way to test one's ability to do anything worthwhile.
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Originally Posted by ImmortalCow
A lot of tests do require memorization on a macro scale. This is a failure of education systems to adjust to the climate of the current technology and the availability of information. I've had to study units that are basically entirely memorization. I don't enjoy them, and it's useless. Why do I have to emulate google? The existing one is really good already.
I agree to a certain point in the first statement, "Educational systems" will be just making technology dependant studients if they adjust the education climate to the new technology. that's a big aberration.
Because if you don't "emulate Google", you'll make yourself a technology dependant person. think about a situation were internet dies... where do you get the information you seek?... books? Go ahead and read about a complex matter in a book, it'd be a easy task if you are used to do that, but if you only investigate in internet sites (where the info seems to be less complex and dense), it'd be surely a hard task. you'd eventually get sick of books. plus, the availability of information in a specialized book may be the same or higher than any site of internet, but it's harder to get to what are you going to read in a book than the internet. internet is in almost every place, a specialized book isn't in every place.
Your kind of claiming is just from a lazy person; Just "eat" all the information as much as you can, I'm sure that almost all scientists manage to learn shit like the exact stoichiometries of all the reactions in photosynthesis, that's why they go so far in life.
Last edited by Dayern; Feb 26, 2013 at 03:01 AM.
Originally Posted by Dayern
Your kind of claiming is just from a lazy person; Just "eat" all the information as much as you can, I'm sure that almost all scientists manage to learn shit like the exact stoichiometries of all the reactions in photosynthesis, that's why they go so far in life.
Except not really.
Do you honestly think that real scientists have every little factoid about the systems they study memorized? No, great scientists are great because they're capable of processing and applying concepts in novel ways, not because they can vomit up words and numbers on command.
I don't bother memorizing minutiae because it reflects nothing about my ability to do anything worthwhile, as I've already said. If preferring to actually know science (Hey, did you know that I actually work in a biochemistry lab? Did you also know that not once have I been asked to memorize and then regurgitate a bunch of information? Instead, I have to do this weird thing called "analysis." It doesn't involve any rote memorization, and clearly that means it's not real learning!) makes me lazy, then so be it.
Last edited by hanz0; Feb 26, 2013 at 04:00 AM.
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Originally Posted by hanz0
Except not really.
Do you honestly think that real scientists have every little factoid about the systems they study memorized? No, great scientists are great because they're capable of processing and applying concepts in novel ways, not because they can vomit up words and numbers on command.
I don't bother memorizing minutiae because it reflects nothing about my ability to do anything worthwhile, as I've already said. If preferring to actually know science (Hey, did you know that I actually work in a biochemistry lab? Did you also know that not once have I been asked to memorize and then regurgitate a bunch of information? Instead, I have to do this weird thing called "analysis." It doesn't involve any rote memorization, and clearly that means it's not real learning!) makes me lazy, then so be it.
Wasn't talking to you, Hanzo. I'm sure you aren't a lazy person, not even close. I just quoted a part of your post.
Maybe scientists don't memorize everything, but first they must know what they are talking about. that implies retaining certain infromation that they only learn from memorization, then from that memorization part they can "unfold" the information they need to apply it in novel ways. Now, let's say that you're in charge to write a book/page about science. if you don't memorize certain information, how do you apply it if you don't know what you're talking about? ... yeah, you could take a specialized book to back you up, but, if you don't have the chance to take a specialized book?
Just imagine a world without "memorization"... how you can say that a primordial thing like "memorization" is useless?
Originally Posted by Ray
The Agricultural Revolution has not been noticed by nomadic tribes living in Africa. Teleportation/ Flying cars will not be noticed by everyone, much less be afforded by people other than say billionaires.
This has a very simple answer. the Agricultural Revolution has not been noticed by nomadic tribes in Africa because they just can't know about "modern" matters because they don't have the accessibility to the new communication systems. unlike them, we would know about teleportation and flying cars because that information would be eventually spreaded out by the massive communication systems. there'll be always someone who leaks information to the world by the massive communication systems.
