\n\n\n" }Memorizing the answers to simple math problems, such as basic addition or the multiplication tables, marks a key shift in a child\u00e2\u0080\u0099s cognitive development, because it helps bridge the gap from counting on fingers to complex calculation, according to the new brain scanning research.
\nThe progression from counting on fingers to simply remembering that, for example, six plus three equals nine, parallels physical changes in a child\u00e2\u0080\u0099s brain, in which the hippocampus, a key brain structure for memory, gradually takes over from the pre-frontal parietal cortex, an area of higher order reasoning.
\nIn effect, as young math students memorize the basics, their brains reorganize to accommodate the greater demands of more complex math. It is a gradual process, like \u00e2\u0080\u009coverlapping waves,\u00e2\u0080\u009d the researchers write, but it clearly shows that, for the growing child\u00e2\u0080\u0099s brain, rote memorization is a key step along the way to efficient mathematical reasoning.
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