"...a greater reliance on rote learning and memorisation.'

Kevin Donnelly: No need to back pointless studies - theaustralian.news.com.au
February 08, 2006
No one would deny that researching ways to make learning more effective is a good thing. But much of existing research, based on a number of ARC projects that have so far been funded, appears to have minimal value for classroom teachers.
Australian students in maths and science are consistently outperformed by students in countries such as South Korea, Japan, Singapore, The Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
One reason overseas students do so well is that there is a greater reliance on rote learning and memorisation. Developmental psychologists agree that lower-order skills must become automatic before students can attempt more complex and difficult tasks.
No one denies the importance of education and the need to properly fund research. At the same time, researchers and academics should understand that public funds are not inexhaustible and that such funding must be justifiable.
Kevin Donnelly is executive director of Education Strategies and author of Why Our Schools are Failing.