So…I am currently attending the most competitive school in Korea and preparing to apply for US colleges this fall.
In Korea, basically most subjects are tested on how detailed and well the students memorized the texts that went over in classes.
For example, I am in Chinese class, and my class goes over three to five one page texts. Mostly about Chinese culture or conversation in Chinese. Then the students memorize the whole things that have taught in the class, like grammar, words, and synonyms. Then the tests are about the exact same test and exact same things. So…this is just memorization check.
And mostly same things happen with History, Literature, and etc.
I think this is totally meaningless since I think it is just checking whether we have memorized, not learned.
How are your views on such memorizing texts? Do American schools do the same?
Personally, I think that memorizing whole texts is, in a sense, useless. You don’t need to memorize a text to understand its meaning, and in classes like those you mentioned, it’s important to know what the texts say, especially in foreign language classes.
The only instance where I’ve had to memorize a portion of a text is earlier this year, when my grade memorized the Middle English version of the Canterbury Tales’ Prologue. We then recited the Prologue to our teacher for a grade.
While my English/Literature, Spanish, and History classes do go over texts (of various lengths) and have reading quizzes, in my school it is certainly not necessary to memorize the texts.
Most American schools don’t do this. Although some wish that they could memorize info and have it be on a test, most of the time the tests are different and you have to apply what you learn. There are some quizzes for certain classes where the questions are exactly from the textbook (AP us history), but most of the time, students have to know the big picture. I agree; memorizing texts don’t actually test if you have learned. However, memorization does help in studying for vocab tests and stuff like that. If you study in the US, you can use your memorization skills to help you remember formulas and information, and then take a step further and apply it. Good luck!