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Nov 28, 2019

Handwriting [Blogpost 99]



I notice that, especially for families new to international schools, there are certain questions that often come to the fore during when visiting the school in general and specific classrooms during the school tour. Aside from the obvious ones relating to our school in terms of how long we have been in operation (25 years old), demographics of the school (just over 600 students from 55+ nationalities), school curriculum (IB curriculum drawing on North American curriculum), some families will ask questions which are very specific and often indicative of what was emphasized - be it uniform requirements (especially shoes/socks if coming from a British school), discipline, school day in terms of ratio between academic and playtime (especially from families with younger children), or handwriting - in the previous school.


With regards to handwriting, it is interesting to note that (at least in British and North American schools) learning to write in cursive was mandatory and thus a rite of passage in junior school (in the British system) or upper elementary (in the North American system). I recall how there was an air of concentration in the handwriting class as we worked, in silence, to make the correct connectors between letters while writing words and then sentences while working through the practice book (somewhat akin to the Handwriting Without Tears). It was a proud day when we were deemed to be good enough to use the Berol handwriting pens, rather than the regular pencil, not just in handwriting class, but in all other classes!


This rite of passage seems to be waning. Many schools no longer mandate the teaching of cursive as technology becomes more prevalent throughout the world. The relationship with writing is, as is evident in this 2017 article Will smartphones kill the art of Chinese handwriting?, also changing in China. As a result, schools have introduced activities (formal lessons and competitions) to promote the use of Chinese characters.


Aside from the argument for teaching cursive so students can present their work neatly, can complete forms/sign letters etc., one of the strongest arguments I have been most aware of is that it helps - and especially for students who struggle with spelling - to remember (muscle memory) the spelling of certain words or specific suffixes/prefixes etc.,. In Why cursive handwriting needs to make a school comeback, Roessingh also puts forth the notion that a focus on printing and cursive in conjunction with spelling instruction and fine motor skills is essential so as to not only ensure a solid foundation in literacy in early elementary, but can lead to greater success in upper elementary and beyond. The case for teaching handwriting is made by MacKenzie in a 2019 article in Edutopia, How to Teach Handwriting—and Why It Matters in which she echoes Roessingh and cites Maria Konnikova who noted, “Not only do we learn letters better when we commit them to memory through writing, memory and learning ability in general may benefit.”


Aside from literacy, memory and learning in general, in Bring Back Handwriting: It’s Good for Your Brain reference is made to the therapeutic benefits of writing and not just in terms of providing an outlet for emotions, but as Beringer noted, “When we write a letter of the alphabet, we form it component stroke by component stroke, and that process of production involves pathways in the brain that go near or through parts that manage emotion”. She summizes that when typing, rather than writing by hand, “It’s possible that there’s not the same connection to the emotional part of the brain.”


While the move away from mandatory lessons in learning cursive may be seen as being in line with a move to a more technological world and preparing students for the future, it is evident that this and (if this trend continue) future generations will be unable to access primary resources from the past. In Bruno’s recently published article, The National Archives has billions of handwritten documents. With cursive skills declining, how will we read them?, US archivist David Ferriero - mindful of the “... 15 billion pieces of paper and parchment,” in the National Archives - states “We’re sacrificing generations of students who won’t be able to read our records”. If primary resources were not to be accessible, one can not but help think of George Santayana’s quote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."


With regard to cursive handwriting, do you see the connection between handwriting and being able to internalize concepts more fully and being able to recall and apply the concepts more readily at a later date? Do you feel the waning of cursive handwriting is inevitable? Do these articles resonate with you?



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