In the Age of Google, What Does Anyone Need Memorization Skills For?

Over the years I’ve noticed that students return to school from summer holidays not remembering the things they were taught the previous school session. Many factors have been attributed to this, but the one obvi­ous, and never-stated prob­lem, is that stu­dents don’t remem­ber what they are taught. In spite of all the “teach­ing to the test” that par­ents and teach­ers com­plain about, stu­dents still don’t remem­ber the very things they were taught as answers to test questions. The rea­son they don’t remem­ber is that they are not taught how to mem­o­rize. Why is that? First, there is a cul­tural dis­dain for mem­o­riza­tion skills. Who needs mem­ory skills today? Not only do we have books where we can look some­thing up, but now we can always just “Google it.” But Google can’t learn a for­eign lan­guage for you. What about stu­dents try­ing to pass high-stakes exams? Google isn’t made avail­able. And can Google make busi­ness­peo­ple more knowl­edge­able and competent? Being able to find infor­ma­tion is not the same as know­ing it. Access to the Inter­net is not always avail­able or prac­ti­cal. Stu­dents become men­tally lazy when they can look stuff up instead of mem­o­riz­ing. Mem­ory needs exer­cise or it atro­phies like a mus­cle. Memory-contest com­peti­tors train for months to become men­tal ath­letes, but when they stop train­ing, their mem­ory capa­bil­ity shriv­els back to a more ordi­nary level. Worse yet is a teacher prej­u­dice against mem­o­riza­tion. That is so “old school;” the hip thing in teach­ing is to focus on crit­i­cal and cre­ative thinking―those higher lev­els of think­ing so esteemed in Bloom’s Hier­ar­chy of Learn­ing. But mem­ory is cru­cial for pow­er­ful think­ing. I agree that the ulti­mate goal should be to teach peo­ple how to think, solve prob­lems, and cre­ate. Cen­tral to these capa­bil­i­ties, how­ever, is the abil­ity to remem­ber things. A per­son can’t think in a vac­uum. Crit­i­cal think­ing requires knowl­edge and acquired think­ing and problem-solving skills. These things require a pow­er­ful memory. Think about all the time and money we spend try­ing to learn, whether it’s in school, on the job, or any­where else. What good is it try­ing to learn some­thing if you don’t remem­ber it? The only ben­e­fit I can think of is that such tem­po­rary learn­ing makes it eas­ier to learn some­thing a sec­ond time. The more one knows (remem­bers), the more intel­lec­tual com­pe­ten­cies one has to draw upon for think­ing, prob­lem solv­ing, and even cre­ativ­ity. Soci­ety does not need a work­force of trained seals, but it does need peo­ple with knowl­edge and skills that they can apply appro­pri­ately to dif­fer­ent sit­u­a­tions. U.S. man­u­fac­tur­ing com­pany exec­u­tives are com­plain­ing that, since man­u­fac­tur­ing tech­nol­ogy is so com­pli­cated, they have to rely on for­eign work­ers who have bet­ter edu­ca­tional back­grounds than do most U.S. stu­dent. The same prob­lem exists for recruiters to grad­u­ate edu­ca­tion pro­grams at U.S. col­leges of engineering. Think back to your own school days. How many teach­ers explic­itly taught you how to remem­ber effec­tively and effi­ciently? Your teach­ers may have used a cou­ple of acros­tics and lim­er­icks, or warned you not to cram, but chances are that was the extent of your for­mal edu­ca­tion in how to learn. The empha­sis in school is always on what to learn. Who teaches how to learn? The prob­lem is that learn­ing is hard for so many peo­ple. They have not learned much about how to learn from par­ents or teach­ers, or on their own. When learn­ing is hard it’s not fun, so stu­dents avoid learn­ing until it is absolutely nec­es­sary. These stu­dents miss out on all the fun and rewards of life­long learning. Of the many things that influ­ence learn­ing effec­tive­ness, let me sum­ma­rize a few: Degree of inter­est and enjoy­ment. Too often, peo­ple have lim­ited inter­ests, which limit what they learn. It pays to develop inter­est in many things. The drive to learn is killed by telling your­self that some­thing is unin­ter­est­ing or bor­ing. School chil­dren and young adults do this routinely. Pay­ing atten­tion and think­ing about what you are try­ing to learn. Think­ing involves relat­ing new infor­ma­tion to exist­ing knowl­edge by ask­ing and attempt­ing to answer ques­tions. This is a part of the next item in this list. Active engage­ment. This relates to the idea of learn­ing by doing, either men­tally or phys­i­cally. Strive to iden­tify mean­ing and gain insight. Get­ting involved with and apply­ing what you are try­ing to learn is much more effec­tive than pas­sively watch­ing a video or lis­ten­ing to a lec­ture with­out tak­ing notes or oth­er­wise engag­ing with the mate­r­ial. This point applies to lazy read­ing, too. Striv­ing for con­tin­u­ous improve­ment of learn­ing skills and knowl­edge expan­sion. Learning-to-learn skills are cumu­la­tive and, I think, super-additive. With­out con­tin­ual striv­ing to become a bet­ter learner, you will reach an “O.K.” plateau that keeps you from expand­ing your learn­ing and mem­ory capa­bil­i­ties. You will never know the sat­is­fac­tion and joy you have missed. Know­ing mem­o­riza­tion prin­ci­ples and tricks. There are lots of tech­niques to help you absorb new infor­ma­tion, many of which are not that hard to learn. Con­fronting chal­leng­ing learn­ing mate­r­ial. When you make a con­scious deci­sion to learn hard mate­r­ial, you can move out of your O.K. plateau and begin expand­ing your learn­ing and mem­ory capa­bil­i­ties. Delib­er­ate prac­tice must be dif­fi­cult in order to gain max­i­mum ben­e­fit. It’s like the physical-exercise mantra: “no pain, no gain.” Knowl­edge is power, and is acces­si­ble to every­one who knows how to get it — which includes mas­ter­ing basic mem­o­riza­tion skills. [Klemm W. R.]

How Basketmouth Bought His Customised Opel Insignia Car

Basketmouth Stand-up comedian, Bright Okpocha also known as Basketmouth, in February, acquired a 2013 Opel Insignia car – reported to be the first on the continent. In an interview, Basketmouth narrates how he came to be the proud owner of the customized automobile. “They took me to the office, they brought out the computer and they asked what colour I wanted. I was like, are you guys serious, anything I want you will put in this car? That was how it started, I told them everything I wanted, so they loaded the car as much as they could to my own satisfaction. I didn’t go out of my way to buy a car neither did I fly all the way to Belgium to buy a car, it was just a coincidence that I just bumped into the car.” Basketmouth also explains his initial fears when he learnt he was the first person to order the car from Africa. “It was also coincidental that I was the only person that ordered it from this region”, he said. “When they told me, I was scared and asked what’s up with the servicing of the car? They told me that with the kind of engine that I have ordered, I cannot service it for the next three years and I said okay then give it to me because by three years’ time, definitely I go don change motor. It was just a coincidence and please don’t ask me how much the car costs.” Basketmouth went on to narrate how a visit to Belgium brought him in contact with his latest acquisition. “I went to visit my friend, Bayo Adegeye, who was my first manager ever. I went to see him and his family in Belgium. His wife is white and the mother is the General Manager of Insignia and all Opel products. When we went to say hi to her, she wasn’t in the office so I went to the shop and I saw this car laying there and I was like, which car is this, and they told me and I said I like it and asked how much it cost. They told me they don’t sell it that way, that you’d have to order it and I said Okay, I want to order it” he added.

Bishop David Oyedepo To Face N2billion Lawsuit For Slapping Church Member

Popular pastor and founder of the Living Faith Christian Church International, David Oyedepo, will face a legal action for slapping a young lady during church service, last year. Robert Igbinedion, a Lagos based lawyer, confirmed to us Friday that he had filed a suit, on behalf of the young lady, at the Ogun State High Court for the enforcement of the lady’s fundamental rights to freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment, human dignity, fair hearing, and freedom from discrimination. Mr. Igbinedion is seeking an award of N2bn as ‘general and exemplary damages’ against Mr. Oyedepo. “If a wrong is done to the young lady, she is bound to receive justice for that wrong,” said Mr. Igbinedion, a Solicitor at Salus Populi Chambers. In the suit, Mr. Igbinedion said that the young lady, while answering an “illegal” alter call, was trying to explain herself when the pastor gave her “a dirty and thunderous slap.” “The respondent (Mr. Oyedepo) made the alter call for witches to come out, he did not make a similar call for other categories of sinners like illicit drug dealers, contract inflators, fraudsters, adulterers, and fornicators in the church,” read the suit. Mr. Igbinedion, who represented the victims of the celebrated Pastor Emeka Ezeugo (popularly known as Reverend King) at the Magistrate court, in 2006; stated that cases of violence in the place of worship if not nipped in the bud could escalate into ‘uncountable’ dimensions. Furthermore, he said the calling out of the young lady (and others) as witches are illegal, unconstitutional, and a breach of Section 34 of the Constitution of Nigeria, African Charter on Human and People’s Right, and United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Right. The suit asked the court to compel Mr. Oyedepo to issue a self-signed public apology to be published in two national dailies and one international satellite television station. It also wants the respondent to issue a similar alter call for drug dealers, corrupt government officials, bribe-giving contractors, and other category of sinners who are members of the church. In December last year, a video of Mr. Oyedepo viciously slapping a teenage girl during church service for saying she is “a witch for Jesus” appeared on popular site You Tube. Though later removed, the video went viral within days with the pastor, fondly called Papa, receiving a lot of stick from outraged viewers and members of the public. One viewer described the act as “unbiblical, barbaric, and a disgrace.” Days later, another video surfaced in which Mr. Oyedepo tried to justify his action saying “it is my ministry to slap” and that the fact that the witch, rather than going to court, apologized showed his superiority. “People now complain on the Internet that I slapped a witch. If I see another one, I’ll slap,” he said in the video.

D’banj signs with Mecury Records UK

African pop giant and former Mo’hits boss Dapo ‘D’banj’ Oyebanjo has signed withMercury Records, an imprint in the UK under the Mercury Records Group ofUniversal Music UK. Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the The Island Def Jam Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries ofUniversal Music Group. Mercury Records lists D’banj on their official website as one of their acts alongside the likes of UK rock singer-songwriter Elton John, Soft Rock singer Taylor Swift Irish rock group U2, former The Beatles musician Paul McCartney and others. Although his publicist and management are yet to respond to our E-mails concerning the signing, D’banj seems to have confirmed the news himself as he has updated the bio section profile on his Twitter page. D’banj has also launched his personal website www.dbanjofficial.com where the Mecury Records logo boldly appears in the bottom right corner. The new bio reads ‘DB/Good Music/ Mercury/IDJ’ (IDJ meaning Island Def Jam). When asked by a fan on Twitter what ‘IDJ’ means, he responded ‘island Def Jam bro’. D’banj is however not listed on the G.O.O.D Music/Def Jam official roaster on the label’s website. D’banj who recently parted ways with his former Mo’Hits label partner Don Jazzy has relocated to the US where he will continue to push his brand and music in the foreign music market. The entertainer is set to officially release his smash single ‘Oliver’ (which recently made Scott Mills’ Radio 1 ‘Record Of The Week’) in the UK on May 14. D’banj as announced earlier will also perform at the 2012 Barclaycard Wireless Festival which holds at the Hyde Park, London, on Saturday, July, 7 2012 and at the BBC Hackney Weekend 2012 in London come June 23 and 24.

Nigerian Army: Recruitment For Short Service Combatant (SSC) 2012

Applications are invited from eligible Nigerians for commission into the Nigerian Army (NA) as Short Service Combatant (SSC) Commission officers. The SSC offers an excellent opportunity to young Nigerians who intend to have an experience in the Army without necessarily having to spend their entire career life in it. The SSC is open to both civilians and serving military personnel. ENTRY REQUIREMENT All applicants must satisfy the following conditions: - Be a Nigerian as defined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. - Be a male or female between the ages of 24 and 29. - Possess at least a first degree of not less than Second Class Lower Division or HND of not less than Lower Credit in the arts, sciences or humanities from any recognized University or Polytechnic as the case may be. - Measure at least 1.68m (for male) and 1.65m (for female) in height. - Be medically and physically fit. - Applicants (less serving members of the Armed Forces) must possess NYSC discharge certificate or a valid exemption as the case may be. - Possess valid birth certificate endorsed by the National Population Commission, hospital or local government council of birth or valid age declaration. - Possess a valid certificate of state of origin. - Must not have been convicted by any competent court of law. - Be recommended by at least 2 recognizable referees who must attest to the applicant’s character and integrity. Serving military personnel must be recommended by their commanding officers. CONDITIONS OF SERVICE SSC will be granted for 10 years. Six years will be on active list renewable thereafter for a period up to 3 years. No extension would be granted after the ninth year of commission except on conversion to regular combatant where applicable. - Officer cadets who successfully complete the military training shall be granted the rank of Second Lieutenant. - Conversion to regular commission is not automatic. It is based on availability of vacancy and other criteria that are or will be in force from time to time. - All graduating officer cadets must sign an acceptance of the terms and conditions governing the Short Service Combatant Commission before they are granted commission into the Nigerian Army. - The reckonable period of service will be based on the date of commencement of cadet training of both civilian and military personnel entrants. METHOD OF APPLICATION The following will apply: - All applications are to be made online. Application Fee is N2,500.00. To apply: (1) Obtain a PIN Code from any branch of Ecobank nationwide upon the payment of N2,500.00. Application Fee to the designated cashier with effect from 12 April 2012. (2) Log on to www.nigerianarmyms.org (3) Select Short Service Combatant. (4) Enter basic details as requested alongside the PIN Code. (5) Log in to begin filling the forms and upload documents and passport. - Print Out. Applicants are to complete the form online and upload all required documents stated in the general instructions. Applicants must print out their online generated photo-card on completion of their application. Successful applicants are required to present their printed photo-cards to the selection board during the interview. CLOSING DATE Applications closes on 16 May 2012. FURTHER INFORMATION For further information, you may call 09-8734009 between 0900hrs and 1700 hrs from Monday to Friday. You may also visit www.nigerian-army.org For technical support and complaints, call the following support lines 01-7339334, 07026936166, 07092426991 or email: support@nigerianarmyms.org Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary Mambilla Barracks Asokoro Abuja