Rote or understand?

While checking my mails and preparing my pic albums I was reading the news and one editorial caught my eye. That's about learning methods. I'll quote the two first paragraphs to give an idea of the contents:

"One characteristic of Japanese universities is that they provide highly specialized education for undergraduate students. This is partly because high-school students receive a high level of science education. In fact, their knowledge level in math and physics is one of the highest in the world. Thus, first-year undergraduates in science departments are ready to take highly specialized courses.

Elementary and junior high-school students also receive a relatively high level of science education, and their scholastic ability, as well as that of high-school students, in international achievement contests is also tops. However, the level of scientific thinking among adults is ranked 14th in a 15-nation survey of those aged around 30, one conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)."

Japanese students have great levels of science education... and I mean it. I've talked to some Japanese students at the university. About exact sciences, that is the part of education that I'm able to compare now, they learn things like calculus, differential equations, different electric circuits resolution techniques like using nodes (I wouldn't be surprised if I discover one day that they learn things like Thevenin's theorem...). Classes are more a less from 9h to 15h... Monday to Friday. Plus other things such as sport clubs activities. To the point that one student said to me that she has more idle time as a university student than as a high-school student (and she's taking around 20 subjects for this period). Perhaps that is really true if one doesn't have a part-time job.

So, they have basically the same things we have in Brazil: Math, Physics, Chemistry, P.E., History, Geography, English, Mother language (Japanese or Portuguese), Biology. Some schools, especially girl's schools have some other things, but I won't discuss that. But science stuff is seen much deeply. Is that a good thing? Could be. But I wouldn't agree so easily.

Seems like, although science level is high, it's not aquired by understanding things, but by roting and focusing university entrance exams. Doesn't look so different from that in Brazil? Well, I don't know about other high-schools, but mine at least had teachers that tried to make us understand and memorize things. At second year of university I met a teacher who enphacized more thinking and less roting... I still don't know if in a little exaggerated way, but that was a good lesson in the end.

If one learn only br roting, one's used only with the situations memorized, while by understanding, not only the knowledge stays in one's mind for long, but it's also possible to extrapolate, diversify and discover new things. Maybe that's one reason why Japanese are so good in science, but not so good in languages, for example. Also it's said that they're good in getting other people's ideas and improving them, but not in developing an new one on their own.

Don't know if that's true or not, but it shows what overuse of roting can cause. In a meeting between Japan's Prime-Minister and U.S. President (not the current). The Prime-Minister was talking in English:
J: "Who are you?" (Actually he tried to say "How are you?")
U: "I'm [President's name]. And you?"
J: "Oh, me too."

Maybe, based on set phrases he tried to estabilish a good impression, but as the situation got a little different of what he memorized ("How are you?"; "Fine. And you?"; "Oh, me too."), things went wrong.

Lately, I wonder if high-school education in Brazil isn't going the same way. I don't think it'll go back to memorizing names and places instead of background and reasons in History (it's still done here), but as the competition to enter a good university becomes fiercer, maybe schools may end up emphacizing more roting... I just hope they don't cross the line. Some university professors complain about students being too used to the roting way already... The ability to have high level classes earlier in university is surely something, but is it worth?

"The problem is that high-school education in Japan is oriented toward university entrance examinations. Because of this, little time is spent developing the abilities and attitudes required of adults, such as abilities to debate, to read and comprehend, to think scientifically and logically, and to collect and analyze information."

Well, that's it. Happy Halloween.