The focus of some teachers, especially special education teachers, is on rote, not understanding. Normal high school students should be encouraged to think and understand, not simply to use rote in memorization and problem solving, as is done in the lower grades.

 

Here is an example of the incorrect stress on rote. The teacher gave a list of questions the students were to answer in class. I followed the lesson plan, discussing wrong answers, and finished before the bell. The next period a special ed teacher was present. She ran the class, and I just helped out. She asked students for answers to the questions. If a student gave the wrong answer, she quickly went to another student. She finished in 30 minutes, and then let the class have free time. I took 40 minutes, because I made the students explain their answers if they were wrong. Approaching science like rote language studies is failing the primary task of a teacher, which is to educate and to stimulate thinking.

 

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