Rote Learning

This collection contains documents and correspondence centered on a study of rote learning in rural Black schools, led by Charles S. Johnson and Robert E. Park at Fisk University. It includes letters and a long memo from Park, where he reflects on how students often memorize without really understanding, especially when lessons don’t connect to their lives. He talks about how this pattern is tied to history, lack of books, and a gap between school and community. Park suggests trying something different: a school that works with the whole community, focuses on real issues like public health, uses local news and film to spark interest, and makes learning more about thinking than repeating.