Happy National Handwriting Day! If you're a regular follower of Paperesse, you know I strongly support cursive handwriting instruction in schools, which the implementation of Common Core Standards in the United States has negatively impacted. As CCS do not require cursive handwriting instruction, less and less schools are teaching it. There are exceptions to this, however. Many states have bypassed standards to create their own guidelines. You can read more about this in my post from last year and my first post on this subject, Cursive Writing – It's important! 10 reasons to teach and use it.
My previous posts have focused on elementary school, but the benefits of cursive writing extend far beyond that. Studies continue to prove that university students who take notes by hand – rather than laptop – retain more of what they learn and score higher on exams. In researching this post, I read a interesting Wall Street Journal article on just this subject – I’d Be an ‘A’ Student if I Could Just Read My Notes. As more and more professors ban distracting laptops from their classrooms (a move I heartily applaud), many students who have not been taught effective handwriting skills are struggling.
More research on this subject led me to Education Next's website and their post, Should Professors Ban Laptops?. It thoroughly addresses this question with in-depth research, proving beyond any doubt that students learn more and score higher on exams in classrooms without laptops. Another interesting post on their site Laptops in the Classroom: An Open and Closed Case, interviewed three professors who have implemented no laptop policies and the results they have had. It was interesting to read their take on addressing a sea of laptops and the omnipresent click-click of taping keyboards; I can only imagine how unpleasant that must be.
The benefits of handwriting are universal and applicable to us all, no matter our age. As Forbe's Three Ways That Handwriting With A Pen Positively Affects Your Brain points out, the act of writing something by hand can have a meditative type effect on our brains, releasing hidden creativity. It can also sharpen our minds, helping us to think more positively. It helps with mindfulness, too, forcing us to slow down a bit and 'enjoy the moment'.
What's not to like? Pick up a pen and get writing!
It is sad to think of the dying art of writing and a shame that schools are letting it happen. I still remember how excited I was in school to learn 'adult writing!'
ReplyDeleteI recently heard one of our local schools is going back to using cursive! Whahoo!
ReplyDelete~ginny