61 - Studying by heart

When I was a student, many of my classmates considered memorizing something by heart as something extremely negative and to be avoided. They claimed that if you want to understand something deeply, you shouldn't memorize it by heart. Looking back, I partially agree, but not completely. In fact, there is a case in which it is a useful practice, I think. When you have to study a very complicated subject, such as a scientific one, one of the most important things is the ability of using a specific language to explain it. If you are not very confident with this topic in general, you will probably need to learn some sentences or expressions by heart, in order to be able to communicate it in the best possible way. This does not imply that you did not understand what you studied, though. Comprehending something and begin able to spread it it are two different and unrelated things. A good speaker is always able to express themself in a great way, even if they don't know what they are really saying. On the contrary, a very shy person is probably not at ease talking in front of a crowd and he or she may need to learn some sentences by heart. In conclusion, I do not think that memorizing something by heart is necessarily a practice to avoid. Overusing it may not be the right approach to study, but neither is completely avoiding it. It depends on who you are and the topic.