What the Research Says: Strategy-Based Math Fact Instruction Versus Traditional Rote Memorization

Decades of educational research comparing strategy-based instruction with traditional rote memorization consistently demonstrate the following:

Students taught with a strategy-based approach outperform those who receive traditional rote instruction.
Strategy-based instruction leads to greater long-term retention than rote memorization.
Timed tests can trigger math anxiety; rote memorization short-circuits number sense.
Strategy-based instruction nurtures mathematical agency—the belief in one’s own problem-solving abilities—while traditional memorization does the opposite.
A student’s ability to utilize mathematical strategies is a primary predictor of overall mathematical achievement and future success.

Click here for our one-pager, providing further details and full references.

Sources & Further Reading:

Figuring Out Fluency in Mathematics Teaching and Learning (Bay-Williams & SanGiovanni)
Fluency Without Fear: Research Evidence on the Best Ways to Learn Math Facts (Boaler)