Why Rote Memorization Doesn’t Work (And What to Do Instead)

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Some people swear by rote learning.

Others dislike this approach to learning with a vengeance.

They even get dramatic, calling rote repetition…

“Drill and kill.”

What gives? 

And how specifically is learning by this deadly form of repetition defined? 

We’ll get into everything on this page so that you can make an informed decision about how to learn based on science, not opinion. I’ve always felt doing so was important, from when I first learned about science and critical thinking as an undergrad to when I taught it as a professor at York, Rutgers and the University of Saarland in Germany.

In addition to thinking scientifically and critically about what makes rote learning so problematic, I’ll share with you an alternative approach to learning that never feels boring.

Sound good?

Let’s get started!

What Is Rote Learning?

Rote learning takes place when you repeatedly expose yourself to information until it enters your long term memory without adding any other creative or strategic element.

Raw repetition like this definitely can work, but it takes a lot of time. And in areas like language learning, studies like this one show that alternatives to rote simply don’t work as well as the memory techniques I feature on this blog.

More broadly, this study demonstrates how rote learning can actually harm your ability to learn, and it’s not the only one showing these effects.

So, if rote’s so bad, why do people use it?

Typically, people use rote learning because it’s the main learning technique they’ve been taught. It has applications in music, for example. Rote memorization can also happen on autopilot in a certain way. For example, when you learn to ride a bike, your procedural memory uses the repetition to form deep neural pathways that ensure you’ll remember the skill for life.

Examples of rote learning include:

• Flipping through flashcards
• Using spaced repetition software
• Mentally repeating the same information
• Meditations or spiritual practices in which you repeat prayers

I also repeated my TEDx Talk several times for practice giving the speech. This is a great example of when a small amount of rote repetition makes sense. 

The Real Reason Behind Why Rote Memorization Is So Terrible

For thousands of years, many people have sought out memory techniques as an alternative to rote learning for a few reasons:

• Rote is almost always boring and discouraging
• It takes more time than people want to spend
• It’s not nearly as effective as alternatives like active recall, a technique that engages all the senses.

If rote memorization is truly this terrible, why do so many people use it instead of mnemonics?

According to Carla Hannaford in Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head, part of the success of the drug ritalin is easily explained. It helps students put up with the tedious nature of repeating information without any kind of multi-sensory engagement.

In other words, societies have preferred drugging children instead of tackling the real problem of making learning fun.

But is repetition itself bad? 

Absolutely not.

Again, let’s take the music example. It’s really important to repeat songs if you want to commit lyrics to memory. Repetition is also a huge part of ear training, and general instrumentation a form of rehearsal musicians sometimes call “dedicated practice.”

However, even in music, even practice forms of repetition can be quite brutal in how they create boredom, I.C. McManus and Peter Richards call any memory gains they create “incidental learning.”

In each case, there are alternatives. For one thing, you can use interleaving to spice things up, which basically involves switching between topics or skills that you’re studying.

There are many other disadvantages to rote learning, most of which are easily avoided. 

First, rote learning usually does not ask you to think about what you’re learning. It’s focused entirely on repetition itself. 

This focus on repetition-for-the-sake-of-repetition not only makes the learning process boring. You also lose out on the benefits of thinking you could receive by engaging with the information in a deeper way.

Rote learning also treats the brain as if it were a “linear library.” As a result, you miss the benefits of what I often call the “rhizomatic effect” you experience when using a Memory Palace Network to produce new knowledge based on information you’ve engaged with deeply.

You also lose tons of time that could have been spent enjoying using your mind and imagination.

Finally, rote repetition prevents you from experiencing the benefits of having memorable conversations with others.

What To Do Instead Of Rote Memorization

I suggest you start using mnemonics to help you commit information faster.

One place to begin your journey with memory techniques is the pegword method. To use this mnemonic approach, you simply assign a dynamic shape or figure to each letter of the alphabet. For example, every time you think of the letter C, you also think of a favorite cat.

Having a simple set of associations like this makes learning spelling much more fun and interesting. And it follows the rules of active recall I mentioned above because you have personalized each letter of the alphabet.

You can develop a similar set of personalized images for numbers as well. For this, I suggest you learn the Major System and combine it with rhyming or story and the method of loci to make learning the entire set engaging and immersive.

Is there proof that it works?

Tons.

In language learning, Dr. Richard Atkinson has shown just how poorly rote learning works in comparison to proper mnemonic strategies. Many of my students have shared their incredible results and my podcast has hosted over a dozen of the best memory athletes as quests.

Here’s something interesting: In experiments that have been successfully repeated by scientists around the world, Atkinson demonstrated that rote learners were successfully able to recall vocabulary from lists at a rate of 28%.

By contrast, those who used techniques like the Memory Palace showed a retention rate of 88% or better. Dr. David Reser and Tyson Yunkaporta recently showed even better results by incorporating some Aboriginal memory techniques into a follow-up experiment.

Lynne Kelly, one of Australia’s leading memory experts and author of The Memory Code recently become a member of the Order of Australia based on her research in memory. That’s a big deal.

So now that you’ve seen some of the evidence, what would you prefer?

Sticking with rote learning and recalling only around 28% of what you learned correctly?

Or do you prefer what more meaningful learning and comprehension techniques offer? If you’d like more resources, get this free course now:

Benefits Of Rote Learning

So far, everything we’ve said makes rote learning look pretty bad. 

However, we’ve already seen that rote practice is a must in areas of learning like music, giving speeches and spiritual goals.

Although rote learning reduces critical thinking when required of children, there may be some contexts where it can be helpful for certain types of adults. 

For example, Po Li Tan’s research has suggested that adults who grew up as rote learners might still benefit from it.

Other research has shown that individualized learning plans can themselves fall into rote that has not benefited students in places like Sweden.

At the end of the day, each individual has to decide what is right for them and cultivate radical honesty. Sometimes engaging in rote learning gives you the benefit that you’re engaged in some kind of activity. 

But if the activity of what some people call “over-learning” doesn’t actually lead to accomplishment, then the benefit of doing something for the sake of doing something is an illusion. 

Rote Learning Vs. Meaningful Learning

You might be wondering why the scientific success rates I mentioned above matter so much. After all, it sounds like it really only comes down to time spent. 

Looking only through the lens of time, you might conclude that if you only get 28% correct, all you have to do is go back and spend more time on the material.

Not so.

You’re also losing out on critical thinking benefits by doubling-down on rote memorization. 

As Linda Jakobson has shown in her book, Innovation with Chinese Characteristics: High-Tech Research in China, societies that grow up with rote recall tend to have poor critical thinking skills.

This is tragic because problem solving requires the ability to “mentally rotate” information through multiple angles. 

The absence of rote repetition in other cultures may be one reason why places like parts of Europe and the United States thrive and promote individualism and freedom. 

Historically, a learning technique called Ars Combinatoria was much more prevalent. This approach promoted a form of learning sometimes called “inner writing,” a means of “creative repetition” that relied upon deep and meaningful engagement for the learner.

Meaningful learning might include tactics like:

• Guided discovery
• Sensory learning
• Physical engagement with learning materials (such as through mind mapping)
• Social experiences
• Combining writing with speaking
• Combining listening with speaking, such as through debate
• Developing highly personalized learning plans

A Powerful Example Of The Mnemonic Alternative To Rote Learning

Is rote learning effective?

To a certain extent, yes. Especially if you have a lot of time and patience on your hands.

However, for best results, repetition should always involve “creative repetition.” 

A simple way to reduce the amount of repetition needed and always ensure that you deeply immerse yourself in what you’re learning is to use KAVE COGS or what we call the Magnetic Modes in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass.

To take a simple example of how I learned something very quickly with a minimum of repetition, let me refer to my Sanskrit meditation project. 

In learning a word pronounced like “tesham,” which means “unto them” or “for those,” I didn’t repeat it over and over again.

No.

Instead I looked at the “tes” part of the word and imagined Nikola Tesla driving a Tesla over a Christmas ham. He did it for those who are always devoted to reality itself, which is the main meaning of the entire line I was learning. 

Then, I went through KAVE COGS to drive home the sound and meaning:

• Kinesthetic – Feeling myself driving the car as if I were Tesla
• Auditory – Hearing the sound of the engine roaring
• Visual – Imagining what this scene looked like
• Emotional – Experiencing Tesla’s intention to help the devoted
• Conceptual – Reflecting on the meaning of the text and who Tesla was
• Olfactory – Smelling the ham
• Gustatory – Tasting the ham
• Spatial – Thinking about the size of the car and the ham

By engaging deeply with the word in this way, I learned it immediately and never forgot it after one pass. 

I’ve memorized more Sanskrit phrases than I ever thought possible. And it would not have been possible without using mnemonics. The best part is that the same technique I use for language learning helped me memorize the names of all my students within minutes when I was a professor. 

In sum, rote learning is boring. By contrast, memory techniques are scientifically proven and indescribably fun. All you have to do is get started.

So what do you say?

Are you ready to rev the engine of your mind and get some real learning done for a change?