Why is this something widespread? I did chemistry up till A-levels and no one ever asked me to memorise the periodic table and no one gave a shit about committing it to memory. WTF is going on.
My wife has a couple graduate degrees on this subject. This is one that I got to be the unwilling editor on her papers for.
Its a lack of understanding how students need to learn the information: memorization by usage versus memorization by rote.
Memorization by rote: This is the old school method of teaching. You memorize random facts figures with no context or usage. Its a bit of standalone information that is often not useful. Memorization by rote leads to kids that can say all of the letters but not recognize the symbols or associated them with sounds and words.
Memorization by usage: This is a much more effective method to teach. Its also much harder. This requires teaching the concepts and systems and linking the information together. You memorize the same information by repeated usage but it’s in context. It takes a ton more skill to teach this way because you have to engage the student through the entire process, repeatedly.
I did my master in physical chemistry. The pretty advanced periodic table the university bookstore sold was allowed at exam. On the other hand I memorized amino acids for some reaso
I remember having to memorize some amount in like grade 10 science, I think the first 10 were required - but only the name, symbol, and in order. We didn’t have to memorize any of the other details and on tests we either had a full table to work from or the test would provide the relevant information for the elements needed.
I think the memorization part was more a brain development excercise for kids, every class had some sort of “memorize these few things” up until grade 12 or so.
Our education system values rote memorization over actually learning something. So instead of teaching you how to use the periodic table, they teach you “The element of Hydrogen has an atomic mass of 1” etc.
A few teachers who actually give a fuck will do both, but they are required to teach the test for funding. Because that’s how they are graded.
Omg my high school had 2 chem teachers and both were insane and took the class too seriously. The first week was making us memorize the elements and being drilled in almost daily tests to see if we could write them down.
By the end of the week, my teacher said if you didn’t have at least an 8/10 from her quizzes, to basically change classes. She and the other teacher often went overtime and ignored the period ending bell which pissed off a lot of other teachers.
The periodic table of elements was on a paper that she’d roll up during our quizzes and for the rest of the year, we had to take our quizzes with the assumption that we’ve memorized the tables and could do equations and conversions with no references. The class had to be graded on a curve since most of us 16 year olds had other school work to focus on.
In the end, I think no one from those classes ever became a chem major. It certainly made me hate it.
Yeah I don’t get it either. My degree is in chemical engineering, and I always had a periodic table available for every test going to back to grade 11 chemistry.
In high school, my teacher gave us a printed copy on the first day of class and said, “This is your best friend.” We could bring that page into any test. He also allowed some handwritten notes and alterations to the page, notably a list of polyatomic ions, and colour coding of certain elements. But if you forgot your personal copy, he’d give you a blank one before the test.
In university, I wasn’t allowed to bring a loose sheet with the table on it, but one was stapled to the back of every test and exam if it was required (you don’t really need chemical properties to do fluid mechanics and heat transfer). Also, most tests were open book, and most of my textbooks had a periodic table printed on the inside cover anyhow.
I had a similar experience. The first 2 years where chemistry was a subject, there was always a giant Mendeleev table against a side wall. And in later years it was mostly bring your own, but if you forget, then we’ll give you a copy.
Why is this something widespread? I did chemistry up till A-levels and no one ever asked me to memorise the periodic table and no one gave a shit about committing it to memory. WTF is going on.
My wife has a couple graduate degrees on this subject. This is one that I got to be the unwilling editor on her papers for.
Its a lack of understanding how students need to learn the information: memorization by usage versus memorization by rote.
Memorization by rote: This is the old school method of teaching. You memorize random facts figures with no context or usage. Its a bit of standalone information that is often not useful. Memorization by rote leads to kids that can say all of the letters but not recognize the symbols or associated them with sounds and words.
Memorization by usage: This is a much more effective method to teach. Its also much harder. This requires teaching the concepts and systems and linking the information together. You memorize the same information by repeated usage but it’s in context. It takes a ton more skill to teach this way because you have to engage the student through the entire process, repeatedly.
IMO, some people think that being educated means achieving mountains of rote memorization, and little else. Some of those people also become teachers.
This may also be why there’s a big row every time someone changes what algorithms are taught in basic maths (in the US, anyway).
I did my master in physical chemistry. The pretty advanced periodic table the university bookstore sold was allowed at exam. On the other hand I memorized amino acids for some reaso
I remember having to memorize some amount in like grade 10 science, I think the first 10 were required - but only the name, symbol, and in order. We didn’t have to memorize any of the other details and on tests we either had a full table to work from or the test would provide the relevant information for the elements needed.
I think the memorization part was more a brain development excercise for kids, every class had some sort of “memorize these few things” up until grade 12 or so.
oh i have a good explanation for that. the university i took chem at sucks.
It’s common in the US. Our priorities are… Misaligned.
Our education system values rote memorization over actually learning something. So instead of teaching you how to use the periodic table, they teach you “The element of Hydrogen has an atomic mass of 1” etc.
A few teachers who actually give a fuck will do both, but they are required to teach the test for funding. Because that’s how they are graded.
Omg my high school had 2 chem teachers and both were insane and took the class too seriously. The first week was making us memorize the elements and being drilled in almost daily tests to see if we could write them down.
By the end of the week, my teacher said if you didn’t have at least an 8/10 from her quizzes, to basically change classes. She and the other teacher often went overtime and ignored the period ending bell which pissed off a lot of other teachers.
The periodic table of elements was on a paper that she’d roll up during our quizzes and for the rest of the year, we had to take our quizzes with the assumption that we’ve memorized the tables and could do equations and conversions with no references. The class had to be graded on a curve since most of us 16 year olds had other school work to focus on.
In the end, I think no one from those classes ever became a chem major. It certainly made me hate it.
Common in Brazil, fucking hated it
It hasn’t been common in Brazil for many years already.
Things change.
Then I envy you guys, back in my time there were a ton of ‘songs’ to memorize all the important elements. Hated chemistry because of it.
Oh, I memorized most of it too. And it has always been almost completely useless.
But even though kids this days are spending almost all their time at school, this is something they are not losing time with.
I went looking for a CSI Miami pun, but came out very… *puts on sunglasses*
disappointed
I’ve also heard of this happening in the US. Although in the course of my B.S. in Chemistry they always gave us a Ptable for exams.
Yeah this is exactly why I mentally checked out of chemistry. Memorization was being pushed harder than conceptual understanding.
Yeah I don’t get it either. My degree is in chemical engineering, and I always had a periodic table available for every test going to back to grade 11 chemistry.
In high school, my teacher gave us a printed copy on the first day of class and said, “This is your best friend.” We could bring that page into any test. He also allowed some handwritten notes and alterations to the page, notably a list of polyatomic ions, and colour coding of certain elements. But if you forgot your personal copy, he’d give you a blank one before the test.
In university, I wasn’t allowed to bring a loose sheet with the table on it, but one was stapled to the back of every test and exam if it was required (you don’t really need chemical properties to do fluid mechanics and heat transfer). Also, most tests were open book, and most of my textbooks had a periodic table printed on the inside cover anyhow.
I had a similar experience. The first 2 years where chemistry was a subject, there was always a giant Mendeleev table against a side wall. And in later years it was mostly bring your own, but if you forget, then we’ll give you a copy.
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