ABSTRACT
Excellent teachers of mathematics use plain English to have students transcend memorization, connecting memorized information to meaning. There will always be controversy about the value of memorization. On one side are those who take for granted that mathematics facts (multiplication tables, single-digit addition and subtraction facts), definitions, and formulas must be memorized. On the other side are the constructivists, who reject rote memorization in favor of discovery learning, which they claim is more durable. In this chapter, I propose a blended approach, where the teachers help the students use language to connect meaning to memorized information.
