Is rote memorization enough?
For years, math education has been a source of frustration. Teachers were seeing students struggle, despite their best efforts to teach the basics. The question is, is memorisation enough, or do we need to augment rote learning.
Researchers stepped in and gave us what seemed like the perfect solution: build fact fluency first to reduce cognitive load.
The idea was simple—if students could recall their basic math facts without thinking, they’d have more mental space for higher-level problem-solving.
So, schools focused on retrieval practice—drills and gamification designed to make sure students knew their facts cold.
It was a well-intentioned strategy, and there were some initial successes. Students became quicker at recalling facts, and the gamification of drills helped make the practice more engaging.
But as time passed, the expected gains didn’t fully materialize. SAT scores didn’t significantly improve, and teachers still found their students struggling with real-world math.
So what happened?
It turns out that while memorization is important, it’s not the whole story. Many students could recall facts quickly but didn’t truly understand how to apply them.
Knowing multiplication tables is great, but if a student can’t use that knowledge to solve a word problem or connect it to division or fractions, the deeper understanding hasn’t been built.
Rote practice can be helpful, but without understanding, it leaves students stuck when faced with more complex challenges and often frustrated at the arbitrary nature of what could be a wonderful web of connected information.
But here’s the good news, all is not lost
The foundation you’ve laid with retrieval practice is incredibly valuable, and it can be enhanced. What students need now is a way to connect those facts they’ve memorized to real problem-solving.
Number Hive builds on what teachers have already been doing by adding a layer of strategy and critical thinking to the retrieval practice. Instead of drilling facts in isolation, students apply them in a game-based setting, which encourages them to think about how and when to use what they’ve learned.
This approach not only solidifies their fluency but also deepens their understanding of how math works. Students who understand the why behind math are more likely to retain their knowledge, apply it confidently, and enjoy the process.
In short, the drills and retrieval practice you’ve been doing are essential steps, but they’re just the beginning.
By integrating tools like Number Hive, you can take students from memorization to mastery—enhancing the work you’ve already done and ensuring that students leave the classroom with both the fluency and the understanding they need to succeed.
The foundation is there—now it’s time to build on it.
