As can be seen from numerous statements made by students in the new media, very few of them understand the difference between learning and memorisation. Learning refers to the process of understanding and applying information or skills. In other words, it is about understanding and internalising the underlying concepts and contexts in order to then later apply what has been learned and apply it to new situations. Learning is therefore a deeper process that aims at understanding and application.
Memorisation, on the other hand, usually refers to the storage of information or facts without a deep understanding of the underlying concepts. It usually involves memorising something in the short term and then being able to reproduce it word for word without actually understanding the knowledge. Memorisation can be a useful skill in some cases, for example when one has to remember important dates or facts, or when one has to reproduce a poem. But this form of learning is usually less effective than deep learning because it is much easier to forget the information or not apply it to new situations.
Memorisation is also far too short-sighted in terms of school learning, because you usually need the knowledge later in the form of building on the existing structures. This is particularly important in the natural sciences, but especially in mathematics. However, learning a language is also about acquiring a basic vocabulary that forms the basis for active application.