Why Should We Bother to Learn Dates?

Yes, if you don’t know a piece of trivia [such as dates], you can just look it up.  So, why should we bother to learn [memorize] dates or other history facts?   Are you really going to look it up? Suppose you are watching a TV show or reading a book.  There will likely be

Stages of Mastery: Moving Beyond Rote Memory

Too often rote memory is thought of negatively.  But knowledge first has to be learned [ie memorized] before it can be built upon and applied. We memorize our math facts, either through drills or by repetition over time.  Then, later, we can move into algebra and advanced applied mathematics.  If you don’t have the basics in