Rote learning: outdated… or underrated?

For years, rote learning has been dismissed as something old‑fashioned — a method we’ve supposedly “moved on from” in favour of communicative activities, games, and immersion. Yet here’s what we often overlook: intentional memory‑activation practice still matters, and many learners struggle not because they don’t understand the language, but because they simply can’t retrieve it fast enough.

A personal perspective: memorisation as a foundation

For me, growing up and studying in France, rote learning wasn’t optional — it was part of the culture. I still remember standing in front of the class, reciting poems line by line. I remember memorising endless lists of English irregular verbs and being tested on them weekly. I can recall my English teacher asking us to memorise a poem in the target language — and I still remember it now, decades later. And at university, I had to learn entire books of vocabulary by heart.

It demanded consistency and real effort, but it built a level of automaticity that still serves me today.

Why memory activation matters more than ever

Modern research backs this up: intentional memorisation strengthens recall, and recall is the foundation of fluency. Without quick access to words, structures, and connectors, students can’t build sentences, can’t express ideas, and can’t progress.

Two studies illustrate this clearly:

📚 Laufer (2003) — deliberate memorisation works

Laufer compared learners who used deliberate memorisation techniques (repeated retrieval, list learning, intentional rehearsal) with learners who relied on incidental exposure (encountering words naturally through reading or tasks). The results were clear: the deliberate‑memorisation group achieved significantly higher recall, especially for low‑frequency or less transparent vocabulary.

The key insight: intentional memory activation gives learners a stronger initial “grip” on new words, making them easier to retrieve later. This supports the idea that active recall and form‑focused memorisation are not outdated — they are effective cognitive strategies.

📘 Nation (2013) — automaticity is essential

Nation emphasises that learners need automatic access to high‑frequency vocabulary to progress in reading, listening, speaking, and writing. These core words must be retrieved instantly, without hesitation, because they form the backbone of all communication.

To reach this level of automaticity, learners need deliberate, repeated encounters — and intentional memorisation is one of the most efficient ways to achieve it. Nation shows that without automatic retrieval, learners struggle to build sentences, decode meaning, and maintain fluency. This aligns with modern approaches combining spaced repetition and memory activation practice.

Maybe rote learning isn’t outdated — maybe it’s underused

And this becomes painfully obvious every September.

We enjoy the summer break, but we all know what happens when students return: they’ve forgotten a surprising amount. Every year I used to feel frustrated. I would introduce vocabulary on the Monday, and by Wednesday it had already vanished. I set vocabulary learning homework, added the pressure of a test, and still only a handful managed to pass.

So I blamed the outcome on lack of practice — they didn’t revise, they didn’t put in the effort, etc.

But eventually I realised something crucial: I expected them to revise, but I never taught them how.

Once I started teaching students how to memorise — how to activate memory intentionally, how to retrieve information repeatedly, how to practise effectively — everything changed. Their scores improved. Their confidence grew. They became better at remembering because they understood the process and the more they

did the easier it became as their brains got used to it.

Combining methods for stronger memory

If we want students to remember vocabulary and use it fluently, we need more than exposure. We need a system that works with how memory actually functions.

This is where the work of Hermann Ebbinghaus becomes essential. His research on the forgetting curve showed that memory decays rapidly in the first hours and days after learning — unless learners actively retrieve information at spaced intervals. In other words: forgetting is normal, predictable, and universal. But intentional retrieval interrupts the forgetting curve, strengthening memory each time. This is exactly why combining methods matters.

The strongest results come when we combine:

• Rote learning

Before learners can use a word, they must know it. Rote learning provides the raw material: the sound, the spelling, the meaning, the form. Without this first imprint, there is nothing for the brain to retrieve later.

• Active recall

This is the process of pulling information out of memory; it’s the difference between looking at the answer and trying to remember the answer. It is a method of retrieval, and retrieval is what strengthens memory and one of the most effective tools for building long‑term retention, automaticity, and fluency in language learning.

• Spaced repetition

Spaced repetition is a learning strategy where students review information at increasing intervals over time — not all at once, and not randomly. The spacing is intentional, and the timing is based on how memory strengthens after each successful retrieval. It is not about more revision. It is about better‑timed revision.

• Contextual practice

Contextual practice means using vocabulary, structures, and chunks in meaningful situations, not in isolation. It’s the moment when students stop treating language as items on a list and start treating it as a tool for expressing ideas, solving problems, and interacting. It is not about memorising more. It is about activating what has been memorised in real contexts.

💬 Final thoughts

Getting students to memorise enough language to feel genuinely confident is an uphill struggle — not because they’re unwilling, but because most of them have never been taught how memory works. Research shows that when we combine intentional memorisation with active recall, spaced repetition, and contextual practice, we give learners a system that finally makes remembering possible and leads to genuine long‑term retention.

So here’s the question I’d love to explore with you:

Do you think intentional memorisation still has a place in MFL teaching — and how do you help students embrace it as a useful skill rather than a chore?

In my next post, I’ll be sharing specific intentional memorisation strategies that teachers can introduce directly to students — simple, practical, and research‑aligned, so if you liked this post subscribe to stay in the loop.

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📖 References

→ Laufer, B. (2003). Vocabulary acquisition in a second language: Do learners really acquire most vocabulary by reading? Some empirical evidence. The Canadian Modern Language Review.

→ Nation, I. S. P. (2013). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

→ Ebbinghaus, H. (1913). Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.