As we continue to adopt technology in all facets of our life, certain things fall to the wayside becoming archaic. One such skill continuing to slip down the cracks is cursive writing. With the emerging acceptance of technology such as laptops, tablets, and cell phones typed text is becoming the normal medium for communication. More and more teachers are incorporating typed assignments into their curriculum, often eliminating a written option all together. I have even heard of some teachers banning the use of cursive because of some students producing illegible assignments or test answers. So it only seems natural that cursive handwriting is a skill now becoming extinct. In an article I just read, Indiana is omitting cursive from their state curriculum. Come fall Indiana schools will have the choice of keeping cursive in the classroom or move to typing instead.
I can recall my own experience learning cursive and it isn't a pleasant one. I learned handwriting in 2nd grade from Sister Louanne, a nun of the Sacred Heart of Jesus order. She was terrifying in her all white habit. They way she walked up and down the aisles was much like a stealth bomber, silently cruising up and down waiting for a student to make a mistake. If our i's weren't dotted and t's weren't crossed she would unleash fury on us, often cracking our knuckles with her ruler. We were to take extreme pride in our penmanship because if you couldn't write legibly it reflected poorly on your character. I am interested to hear about other people's experiences. Was penmanship something teachers told you to take pride in? Did your experience change how you used cursive? If you had a bad experience are you apprehensive to writing in cursive? Furthermore, is teaching kids how to write cursive a waste of time? Will cursive be like calligraphy, with only those who taught themselves able to do it? Should cursive be taught in school or should it be left up to the parents?
Hey Alex, this was the only way I could figure out how to reach you. I was wondering if it would be ok with you if we went over our presentation after class on Tuesday, instead of Monday? I just got off work (7:30 p.m.) and still need to study more for our exam. Would this be ok with you? Thanks!! Gina
ReplyDeleteI hated cursive writing. I only use it to sign my name. The rest is useless to me. This is not to say that cursive writing should completely leave the classroom, but I do not see real value in it. At the same time, it does not hurt to teach it. If the school does not have something of major importance to teach in place of cursive writing, then keep it in the curriculum. Otherwise, don't worry about it.
ReplyDeleteI always had bad handwriting. Eventually, the goal was for my handwriting to be legible, which it is now. As a teacher, I think that grading papers is much easier if they were type-written. It removes an unnecessary mechanic from the equation. Instead of having to tell a student that they need to redo a paper or giving them an automatic "f" because of handwriting sounds good to me. Now we can focus on their actual thoughts in their papers.
Alex, your story reminded me of a conversation I had with an occupational therapist. We were talking about the lack of handwriting skills of the students that were coming to our school. I’m aware of the need of writing for learning reading skills and the relationship to reading development but posed the question of technology eventually reducing the need for writing. Big mistake. The OT educated me about the use of writing and its effects on brain development. Not only is writing a vehicle used as learning how to read, the movements of the hand activate areas of the brain that are implicit in the instruction and development of concepts. Working memory and language areas of the brain are highlighted during the activity using fMRI imaging. I checked out an article on this point. The following is part of the abstract: Functional magnetic resonance imaging recordings indicated that the response mode during learning is associated with distinct pathways during recognition
ReplyDeleteof graphic shapes. Greater activity related to handwriting learning and normal letter identification was observed in several brain regions known to be involved in the execution, imagery, and observation of actions, in particular, the left Broca’s area and bilateral inferior parietal lobules. Taken together, these
results provide strong arguments in favor of the view that the specific movements memorized when learning how to write participate in the visual recognition of graphic shapes and letters.
From a teaching point of view, I have worked with children who could not say a letter or sound unless they traced it first. This was an indicator of a tactile orthographic component that slowed their reading development. It seems that all the functions of the brain are interconnected in the process of reading. I wouldn’t throw away the pencil yet…at least not until we have more neurological information.
Check out the following link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704631504575531932754922518.html
Also, this study compared typing to handwriting:
Longcamp, Marieke, et al. (2008). Learning through Handwriting or Typewriting Influences Recognition on New Graphic Shapes: Behavioral and Functional Imaging Evidence. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20(5), 802-815.
Deb
Cursive writing is required on the form of the Praxis exam in Ohio. You must re-write in cursive a 2-3 sentence paragraph confirming you're the actual person taking the exam.
ReplyDeleteFunny story...in 2nd grade, I was told and believed my handwriting was very good for my age. I also realized I wrote like my mother. When she forgot to sign my report card, I signed it for her. The next day, I was called into the principal's office. She asked me, "Did your mother see your report card?" I said yes. She then asked "Did your mother sign your report card?" At that point,I just sat there silently; puzzled and thinking to myself,"How could she tell?"
Carmilla, your story was too funny! I perfected my mom's signature starting in middle school - it was eerily similar. And now, I find myself taking vigorous notes and her handwriting emerges! Creeps me out because everyone says we look very much alike. Alex, your article was SO interesting! That is unbelievable. I remember when my best friend moved to Puerto Rico in 2nd grade and she would send me letters asking me to demonstrate the cursive for her because her class was behind and she wanted to keep up for when she moved back to Pennsylvania. Another interesting idea that is now being questioned is the idea of the Pledge of Allegiance being recited every day in schools. The article I've posted below (or website, rather), explains which states have laws about it. Boggles my mind. I used to say that pledge without thinking. EVERY DAY. Now we are free to question it. It makes me wonder just how much we can be influenced as children.
ReplyDeletehttp://undergod.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000074
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