Comment by bitexploder
3 days ago
Memorizing is a super power / skill. I work in a ridiculously complex environment and have to learn and know so much. Memorizing and spaced repetition are like little islands my brain can start building bridges between. I used to think memorizing was anti-first principles, but it is just good. Our brains can memorize so much if we make them. And then we can connect and pattern matching using higher order thinking.
There's this [1] which is one of my favorite articles on that topic; definitely worth a read.
[1] https://www.pearlleff.com/in-praise-of-memorization
Recognizing the patterns and applying patterned solutions is where I see success in my niche of healthcare interoperability. So much of my time is spent watching people do things,process and how they use data. It's amazing how much people remember to do their job, but me coming in and be able to bridge the doctor and the lab to share data easier is like Im an alchemist. It's really not a problem I've been able to see ai solve without suggesting solutions that are too simple or too costly and in that goldilocks zone everyone will be happy with
What's even better about memorization is that you have an objective method to test your own understanding. It is so easy to believe you understand something when you don't! But, at least with math, I think if you can reproduce the proof from memory you can be very confident that you aren't deluding yourself.
In education, I have heard it called “fluency”.