Every mathematics course involves some level of memorisation. The area of a circle is pi times radius squared. The square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the square of the other two sides. As teachers, we encourage our students to commit some elements, such as formulas, to memory so that they might be effortlessly recalled to solve future mathematics problems.
PISA data suggest that the way teachers require students to use their memory makes a difference. Are we asking students to commit information to memory and repeatedly apply it to many similar problems? Or do we expect our students to memorise, understand and apply the concepts they have learned to problems in different contexts? Data indicate that students who rely on memorisation alone may be successful with the easiest mathematics problems, but may find that a deeper understanding of mathematics concepts is necessary to tackle more difficult or non-routine problems.