Study advice

There are a number of paradoxes about the role of memory in reading. The more we try to memorize, the less we are likely to recall. The more we try to memorize, the less we are likely to comprehend, which not only makes recall more difficult—it makes recall pointless. Who wants to remember nonsense? On the other hand, the more we comprehend, the more memory will take care of itself.—Understanding Reading, page 96

<idle musing>
I never was big on memorizing things (except vocabulary in languages!). Of course, that's why I always did poorly on fill-in-the-blank tests. But, I always aced essay, multiple choice, and T/F exams. I strove to understand what I was reading, but not necessarily the exact wording of it...

Now, what does all this say about the way we should be teaching?
</idle musing>