In God’s scheme of things, there exists unity in diversity. He has created the entire universe – full of seemingly limitless components – but is directing everything via His Word to His, purposeful end. Although creation consists of many parts, they all work together to form a habitable place for the culmination of God’s creation, human beings.
When I ponder the atomic structure underlying material things, I am amazed at the “complicated simplicity” of it all. The electrons are whizzing around the protons and neutrons in such a mysterious, yet reliable way. They are – to our current knowledge – quite foundational in the structure of things as amazingly diverse as computer chips to butterfly wings. God is certainly foundational; He has formed all things – material and immaterial – out of nothing by His Word. God is also elaborate; the details of His plan are beyond our intellect or imagination.
We in the educational community will do well to take note of God’s plan. Rote learning has often been frowned upon, as if there is no place for it in reputable educational processes. Rote learning’s emphasis is on memorization through repetition. Many experts today see this process as boring and not particularly motivating. However, without great amounts of repetitive work, you could not be reading this article. At some point in time, you dedicated (willingly or quite unwillingly) large portions of time to committing the alphabet to memory. When it comes to letters and punctuation and grammar, your rote learning has resulted in an elaborate ability to read and interpret massive amounts of complicated material. Foundational learning certainly has its place, whether it is viewed as glamorous or not.
My defense of rote learning notwithstanding, God is all about diversity. Whether we observe creation or note God’s plan for the distribution of spiritual gifts and inborn talents (Matthew 25:15, Romans 12:6-6, and I Corinthians 12:4,11), we clearly see that our Creator enjoys variety. This Biblical principle of heterogeneity applies to educational paradigms as well. As reliable educators, we must acknowledge different learning styles even as we build upon a foundation of rote learning.
For example, it is vital that young students learn to spell. Instead of limiting the rote learning part of the task to simply writing the words ten times each, we can acknowledge various learning styles by allowing students to choose from a number of methods of practice. A stellar example is given in the September 10 issue of Educational Leadership in an article titled “Five Hallmarks of Good Homework.” Cathy Vatterott suggests on page eleven, “Create your own method to practice spelling words or choose one of the following: Write or type the words three times, spell them out loud, use Scrabble tiles to spell them, trace them with your finger, or create a puzzle using the words.” The choice of methods honors God’s differences in design, allowing visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners to flourish.
When we think Biblically about God’s plan for learning, we recall the Psalmist’s proclamation, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11, NIV) In order to apply God’s Word to our lives on a regular, seamless basis, we have to know that Word. Carrying a Bible or electronic device in order to access Scripture simply will not suffice if a person wants to truly integrate God’s Word into everyday living. (Although, I promote highly the carrying of the Bible as a visible representation of our heart’s desire.) The fact is: we need some rote learning when it comes to memorizing God’s Word. The methods of memorization may be different for various people, but that Word must be a permanent part of our inner person if we are going to live the Word and not sin against God. God’s written Word becomes a part of the wiring of our brain following rote learning. Then, and only then, may we be able to apply it quickly, accurately, and passionately each moment of the day. Rote learning does not insure application, but rote learning makes application possible.
Personally, I record on index cards passages of the Bible I intend to “hide in my heart.” Then, on a very regular basis, I proceed through all those cards (not necessarily in one session), repeating the passages out loud. In this way, I have committed many verses to memory. The blessing is that those words are miraculously imprinted on my heart and mind and come to the forefront naturally. The mysterious working of neurological connections is at all times activated by Jesus Himself (Colossians 1:17). Sometimes I am even unaware of the process as principles of the Bible work behind the scenes to inform my subconscious decisions, but our Creator honors His Word to help us live for Him when we commit to our mind His Word. For me (and many others), the process begins with rote learning, progresses through my learning style, and ends with application to my life.
Education flows from God, because He is the Maker of both the reality we explore, and the brains with which we explore. Combining solid rote learning with techniques to encourage individual learning styles is a natural outflow of a Biblical view.