Day 172 of 365 - Cursive Demise
It actually saddened me at a gut level. I thought I had heard rumblings about it before. Today, I had the opportunity to speak with a mother and a grandmother with children currently in the elementary school system. It is true, at least in the district where I live, that cursive writing is no longer taught in school and, is in fact, actively discouraged.
I know that the use of technology in schools and in life is becoming dominant now, whether we like it or not. But, how are kids to learn how to sign their names? Won't they still have to do that on occasion? They still do learn to print, and the emphasis is on being able to legibly do that. Children have been found to have better recognition of letters and words when they learn to write them by hand, which is probably why at least printing is still taught. It's just not the same as writing though.
Pens or pencils and keyboards use different neural processes. Handwriting involves a different physical, sensory and mental kind of exercise. In an article found on the Forbes site it says, 'a study of children in grades two through five, found that printing, cursive writing and keyboarding each result in different brain patterns and different end products. When children tested wrote by hand, they expressed more ideas, and greater neural activation in areas associated with working memory were noted via brain scans.'
Fortunately, there are some youngsters who are choosing to learn cursive writing on their own, just because they enjoy the difference in experience. I say, bravo!
Other research suggested that writing in longhand improves comprehension and recall versus making a literal transcript by typing. For those who do writing projects by hand, the editing process, margin notes and so on create a more expansive study of a topic and possibly make a more interesting final rendering.
Then there is the sentimental value of handwriting and the expression of our personality. Some say our writing is charged with the emotion we feel while doing it. That is definitely not going to be conveyed in type. Emoticons serve that purpose now.
I don't have wonderful handwriting, but I still enjoy the act. I also admire the beautiful handwriting of others. It really can be an art form and is such a pleasure for the reader to behold.
In related discussion with my friends this morning, we also talked about preferred writing tools. These definitely make a difference to one's experience of writing by hand. Using just the right size, weight and shape of pen or pencil makes all the difference in the flow of expression. There are a couple of pens I keep for writing notes in cards, or the occasional letter because my handwriting is better while using them.
One friend spoke about his preference for using a very good quality pencil for all his personal writing. That inspires me as a consideration as well, when all my disposable pens run out of ink!
Longhand cursive writing may be a rarity in another generation or two, but those of us who have lived most of our lives using it, can keep it alive for now.
I know that the use of technology in schools and in life is becoming dominant now, whether we like it or not. But, how are kids to learn how to sign their names? Won't they still have to do that on occasion? They still do learn to print, and the emphasis is on being able to legibly do that. Children have been found to have better recognition of letters and words when they learn to write them by hand, which is probably why at least printing is still taught. It's just not the same as writing though.
Pens or pencils and keyboards use different neural processes. Handwriting involves a different physical, sensory and mental kind of exercise. In an article found on the Forbes site it says, 'a study of children in grades two through five, found that printing, cursive writing and keyboarding each result in different brain patterns and different end products. When children tested wrote by hand, they expressed more ideas, and greater neural activation in areas associated with working memory were noted via brain scans.'
Fortunately, there are some youngsters who are choosing to learn cursive writing on their own, just because they enjoy the difference in experience. I say, bravo!
Other research suggested that writing in longhand improves comprehension and recall versus making a literal transcript by typing. For those who do writing projects by hand, the editing process, margin notes and so on create a more expansive study of a topic and possibly make a more interesting final rendering.
Then there is the sentimental value of handwriting and the expression of our personality. Some say our writing is charged with the emotion we feel while doing it. That is definitely not going to be conveyed in type. Emoticons serve that purpose now.
I don't have wonderful handwriting, but I still enjoy the act. I also admire the beautiful handwriting of others. It really can be an art form and is such a pleasure for the reader to behold.
In related discussion with my friends this morning, we also talked about preferred writing tools. These definitely make a difference to one's experience of writing by hand. Using just the right size, weight and shape of pen or pencil makes all the difference in the flow of expression. There are a couple of pens I keep for writing notes in cards, or the occasional letter because my handwriting is better while using them.
One friend spoke about his preference for using a very good quality pencil for all his personal writing. That inspires me as a consideration as well, when all my disposable pens run out of ink!
Longhand cursive writing may be a rarity in another generation or two, but those of us who have lived most of our lives using it, can keep it alive for now.
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