Reading and writing as organs of individuality: memory and automatism in the literacy process

Abstract

Memorization and automatization are frequently associated, in the educational field, with mechanical and meaningless practices. In contrast to this understanding, the present article analyzes the importance of memory and automatism in the learning of written language, arguing that the consolidation of graphophonic relations constitutes a necessary, though not exclusive, mediation for the appropriation of reading and writing as organs of human individuality. The study, bibliographical in nature and grounded in historical-dialectical materialism, articulates contributions from historical-critical pedagogy, historical-cultural psychology, and neuroscience to discuss the processes of memorization, automatization, and development of written language. The functioning of memory is analyzed, highlighting the relevance of the systematic revisiting of contents, the semantic organization of activity, and individual particularities in learning. It is argued that the automatization of graphophonic correspondences is not reduced to meaningless mechanization, but rather constitutes a condition for subjects to progressively expand their attention to the semantic, discursive, and cultural aspects of written language. It is concluded that the appropriation of written language requires systematic, intentional, and deliberate teaching, with memorization and automatization functioning as fundamental mediations for the development of intellectual autonomy, creativity, and the conscious appropriation of written culture.