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Education & Teaching vocabulary · Teaching Methods and Approaches

Rote learning

Meaning in education & teaching, with examples

nounCommon term

In education & teaching, rote learning means: Learning information by repeating it until it can be remembered, often without understanding its meaning or how to use it.

In Turkish: ezberleme, ezbere öğrenme, ezberci öğrenme

How it is used

Usually has a negative tone in discussions about teaching, though some facts, such as times tables, are often learned this way. People say students learn by rote or that a system relies on rote memorization.

Example sentences

  1. Rote learning helped them pass the test, but they couldn't apply the formulas to new problems.

  2. The reform aims to reduce rote learning and encourage deeper understanding.

Common collocations

  • learn by rote
  • rote memorization
  • rely on rote learning
  • rote learning methods
  • critical thinkingThe ability to analyze information, question ideas, judge evidence and reach well-reasoned conclusions instead of simply accepting what you read or hear.
  • active learningLearning in which students do things and think about what they are doing, such as discussing, solving problems or explaining ideas, instead of only listening.
  • inquiry-based learningAn approach in which students learn by asking questions, investigating, gathering evidence and drawing their own conclusions, with the teacher guiding the process.
  • pedagogyThe study and practice of how to teach, including the methods, strategies and beliefs about learning that shape what a teacher does in class.

More terms: Teaching Methods and Approaches

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