Thanks for linking that, it's a great read. I really should read more of Gowers' posts.
The phrase "memory works far better when you learn networks of facts" was a happy find - I've never been able to express that idea so concisely.
I remember discovering they'd moved "differentiation from first principles" away to a further-maths module, as if it's a peripheral, difficult little oddity for the keen kids to hear about. It was the surest, saddest sign that the powers that be had given up on genuinely educating the average A-level maths student.
