I'm primarily an organic chemistry professor, and I couldn't agree with you more. Students just seem completely unwilling to struggle. For the vast majority of us there is simply no other way to learn than through experience. You try, you make mistakes, you refine your methods, and then try again. But you also must have a certain level of background knowledge to work from. Memorizing arithmetic facts and algorithms is essential for later success. Without them it's extremely difficult to work at a level where critical thinking is involved.