A teen student sitting at a desk surrounded by math and physics papers, looking frustrated and overwhelmed, symbolizing the struggle of memorizing without understanding.

Why Memorizing Doesn’t Work in Math and Physics

Tutor Parent Questions
May 31, 2025•2 min read

Your teen is studying.
They’re doing the homework.
They’re even rewatching the lessons…

So why are the test scores still low?

Here’s the truth most students (and even schools) don’t talk about:

Memorizing isn’t the same as understanding.

And if your teen’s just memorizing steps in math or physics — without truly knowing why they’re doing them — it’s no wonder things aren’t clicking.

Let’s talk about why that happens… and what actually works instead.

1. Most Students Are Stuck at the Bottom of the Learning Ladder

There’s a learning model educators use called Bloom’s Taxonomy.
It’s basically a pyramid that shows how deep someone’s understanding really is.

Here’s the breakdown:

  • At the bottom: Remembering and Understanding (aka memorizing and recognizing stuff)

  • At the top: Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating (actually thinking with the material)

Most students only get taught the bottom two.

That’s why they can plug in a formula… but can’t explain why it works.
Or why they follow steps in physics… but freeze when the problem looks different.

2. Great Tutors Teach the Top of the Pyramid, Too

Instead of just saying,

“Here’s the method — now copy it,”
a strong tutor will ask:

  • “Why does this method make sense?”

  • “Can you explain this in your own words?”

  • “What would happen if we changed one part of the problem?”

That’s how students move past robotic memorization — and start making real connections.

When we flip Bloom’s Taxonomy upside down, we don’t start with formulas.
We start with thinking.

That’s when the lightbulb moments happen.

3. What “Clicking” Actually Looks Like

It’s not always a perfect test score right away.
But you’ll know your teen is truly getting it when:

  • They can teach the concept back to you

  • They stop panicking when a problem is worded differently

  • They start noticing patterns and asking why — not just how

That’s not just improvement.
That’s transformation.

A Note on How I Work

In my sessions, I don’t just ask,

“Do you get it?”
I ask,
“Can you explain it back to me — in your own words?”

Because until a student can do that, they’re probably just repeating steps.
And repeating isn’t the same as understanding.

Every student I work with gets the space to slow down and connect the dots — in a way that fits how they learn.

That’s how we move past memorizing… and start mastering.

So if your teen or college student is doing all the work but still not getting the results, it’s time to try a new approach.

To learn how one-on-one tutoring can help tough concepts finally make sense,
 contact me and tell me what your student’s been struggling with.

We’ll talk about what’s going on — and figure out the next best step together.


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