Memorization and a well-ordered mind

"I affirm that tranquility is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind."

-Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4:3

I was really challenged this morning by Csikszentmihalyi's ideas on the usefulness of memorization. 

"A person who can remember stories, poems, lyrics of songs, baseball statistics, chemical formulas, mathematical operations, historical dates, biblical passages, and wise quotations has many advantages over one who has not cultivated such a skill. The consciousness of such a person is independent of the order that may or may not be provided by the environment. She can always amuse herself, and find meaning in the contents of the mind. While others need external stimulation--television, reading, conversation, or drugs--to keep their minds from drifting into chaos, the person whose memory is stocked with patterns of information is autonomous and self-contained. Additionally, such a person is also a much more cherished companion, because she can share the information in her mind, and thus help bring order into the consciousness of those with whom she interacts."

And he bemoans the effects of educational reform that eliminated rote memorization from schools:

"But for a person who has nothing to remember, life can become severely impoverished. This possibility was completely overlooked by educational reformers early in this century, who, armed with research results, proved that "rote learning" was not an efficient way to store and acquire information... The reformers would have had justification, if the point of remembering was simply to solve practical problems. But if the control of consciousness is judged to be at least as important as the ability to get things done, then learning complex patterns of information by heart is by no means a waste of effort."

In previous posts, I've argued like these early reformers, that with the internet so widely available, memorization of facts can be replaced by the web, and we will have more mental energy and time for higher order thinking. And it's true--technology builds on itself. If we still had students memorize the Iliad, we wouldn't have the time to teach them to use Google, which they can use to access the Iliad and much more.

But his point is well taken. We have to provide order to our minds. The internet can't do that for us (yet). Rote memorization is one way to do this. (Other ways include the various flow activities, from sports to culinary arts to meditation). It also serves as practice for controlling our consciousness and makes life more enjoyable.


So what to memorize? Csikszentmihalyi suggests starting with something you are intensely interested in, whether it be sports statistics, songs or poetry. The goal here, after all, is enjoyment.

But there's a higher level as well, that of order. In the next section of the book he is beginning to discuss the flow-producing effects of language, mathematics, science, and philosophy. It seems we could kill two birds with one stone if our rote memorization is part of a system of thought that could help provide order to our consciousness in general. We'll see...

BTW, here's the full passage from Meditations 4:

"Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself. For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul, particularly when he has within him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in perfect tranquility; and I affirm that tranquility is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind."

It's all in the approach

"Like all other sources of flow related to bodily skills--like sport, sex, and aesthetic visual experiences--the cultivation of taste only leads to enjoyment if one takes control of the activity. As long as one strives to become a gourmet or a connoisseur of wines because it is the 'in' thing to do, striving to master an externally imposed challenge, then taste may easily turn sour. But a cultivated palate provides many opportunities for flow if one approaches eating--and cooking--in a spirit of adventure and curiosity, exploring the potentials of food for the sake of the experience rather than as a showcase for one's expertise."  - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow

And so it is with everything. It's in the approach, the perspective. Work. Leisure. Life. Approach it as an obligation, and it becomes a struggle, but let it sit in your mind as something to be explored, mastered, enjoyed, and it is transformed.

Even this thought is already in the past

Even this thought is already in the past.

Writing a blog post is not about fixing some eternal truth in the  stone of time.

I needn't worry about being perfect or complete.

Each post is a record of a point in time, and an imperfect one at that. It's one of Emerson's cannonballs:

"Else if you would be a man speak what you think today in words as hard as cannon balls, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict everything you said today."

So why write?

1. Writing changes me. Today I have to think about what I am thinking. Tomorrow I see what I thought today. Hopefully, I see myself growing.
2. Writing is fun. Sometimes it's even flow-inducing. In fact, that's how I know if I'm doing it right. 
3. Who knows but that someone out there may benefit from what I write. I hope so. But even if no one see it, the first two still apply.

Life is like an effervescence on a sea of possibility. This post is a tiny popping bubble.

Thankful for the wilderness of minds

What makes teaching so interesting is that every year I have 60+ new human beings to get to know, try to relate to and understand, and teach.

That's a tall order. Getting to understand my own mind and how it works is hard enough, and I still don't fully know and understand my wife of 23 years, my teenage children or my own parents. Nor will I ever. A human mind is like a vast wilderness, a world in and of itself, only more than that, because it's always changing--the product of unimaginably complex networks of neurons interacting with tangled histories, genetics, environments and other minds.

And yet we humans are more alike than we are different. There seem to be common rules that govern the way our amazing minds work. We all have similar dreams and desires and, I think, similar sources of motivation and happiness. But science has really only given us a hint of these common rules at this point.

And that's the challenge, not only do we have only a fuzzy idea of the basic rules, every mind is uniquely nuanced and quirky. The result is like exploring a vast wilderness of minds, sometimes climbing mountains and negotiating precipitous crags, sometimes taking in mind-blowing vistas, feeling refreshing wind on your face, drawing sustenance from the land, and diving into crisp, clear pools. But it's more than that, because this vast wilderness is made of people, every one unique and beautiful, interesting, and powerful in their own way.

It's either scary and stressful (if you're focused on yourself) or exhilarating and fulfilling (if you're focused on others).

Today I'm thankful for all of the people in my life, the challenges they present and the beauty they represent, the interesting perspectives they provide and the support they give.

Today I gave them the answer

Today I gave my honors chemistry students the answer.

Today was a half day, with shorter periods. We'd just tested on Unit 3 yesterday, so starting the new unit right before Thanksgiving break didn't make much sense.

Besides, formal lab reports are due Monday, so I figured I'd spend our 36 minutes going over the lab. I decided to make copies of parts of the same report written by one of my students last year. He had done a particularly fine job on the data section, and his explanation section would provide lots of fodder for discussion.

Then I hesitated. "Wait, what am I doing?," I thought, "I can't show them a perfect example of data tables! Isn't that part of the assessment, to see if they can figure out how to set them up? If they model theirs after his, how will I know if they could have done it on their own? It's like giving them the answer."

But then I asked myself, "Is that what this is all about, finding out what they can do? Is this some twisted game of hide-and-seek, or is it about helping them master the skills?"

I opted for helping them master the skills, and gave them the table. I realized that, too often, I have this warped attitude about assessment, too much focus on measuring students' ability and performance, as if my primary job were to provide ratings, scores, and measurements, to be a sort of gatekeeper.

Granted, potential employers and colleges will want to see a GPA or SAT so they can try to judge whether or not the student will be successful, and I suppose I help provide that "rating." But my job is really more about enhancing performance than measuring it. It's less about pronouncing judgement, and more about providing assistance, less about acting as a filter or gateway, and more about providing footholds and ladders.
 
So today I gave them the answer, but only because I thought they needed a better foothold, and what's really important is not assessing their ability to make a beautiful data table, but enhancing their ability to produce a beautiful data table.