The third graders at Horizon Science Academy-Dayton Elementary have completed the introductory unit to cursive handwriting and will begin learning stokes and letters for cursive handwriting during the second quarter. Having been dropped from the Common Core Standards, thousands of classrooms across American have discontinued teaching cursive handwriting. However, is there a case for cursive to continue to be taught in our classrooms today? Ms. Amstutz believes that the research strongly points to a resounding answer of YES! Read the articles below to find out why.
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| Sharnetta practicing beginning upward strokes. |
How Cursive Writing Uniquely Helps Brain Development
(by Lisa Garber)
These are not surprising results, as certain physical activities naturally spark various areas of the brain But they still point to the benefits of handwriting that are missing from typing skills alone. Take, for example, the research of Virginia Berninger, an educational psychology professor at the University of Washington. Berninger claims that because handwriting necessitates physical sequential strokes to form just one letter (as opposed to a single strike in hitting a single key), massive regions in the brain are activated, including areas of thinking, language, and temporary information storage and management. In one of her studies, she demonstrates that children in grades two, four, and six were able to write more words faster and express more ideas when writing essays by hand rather than the keyboard.
What’s more, writing in general helps build important neural pathways in the brain, helping you to better remember whatever you were recording. This is not the case with typing.
Andrea Gordon, writing for ParentCentral in the Toronto Star, writes on cursive writing’s impact on neurological development. Citing the research of Toronto psychiatrist and neuroplasticity expert Dr. Norman Doidge, she says that cursive writing is unique in that, unlike with print handwriting and typing, each letter connects uniquely to the next This is “more demanding on the part of the brain that converts symbol sequences into motor movements in the hand.” Gordon further ties cursive to emotional circuitry according to Dr. Jason Barton’s research at the University of British Columbia.
Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/how-cursive-writing-affects-brain-development/#ixzz3GjXqu7aIFollow us: @naturalsociety on Twitter | NaturalSociety on Facebook
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| Marcus checks his work to look for his best upward stroke. |
5 Reasons Cursive Writing Should be Taught in School
Posted November 6, 2012 in Curriculum & Instruction
Teaching cursive writing extends far beyond simply handwriting skills.
Many students and parents, however, believe that teaching cursive writing is still very relevant and should not be so quickly dismissed. Maggie Wells from Parenting Squad polled teachers to uncover reasons why cursive should be taught in school:
Cursive develops motor skills
Cursive writing requires a very different skill set than print writing. It involves using the hand muscles in a different way. Additionally, it activates a different part of the brain than regular writing does. At the age cursive is taught, around 7 or 8-years-old, these skills can be very beneficial in furthering motor skill development. In turn, many other skills will benefit. Some administrators argue that the time teaching cursive writing would be better spent teaching keyboard skills. In this case, students do not actually have to use their hands to create the letters, which will make retention rates lower and not help motor skills at all.
Cursive writing requires a very different skill set than print writing. It involves using the hand muscles in a different way. Additionally, it activates a different part of the brain than regular writing does. At the age cursive is taught, around 7 or 8-years-old, these skills can be very beneficial in furthering motor skill development. In turn, many other skills will benefit. Some administrators argue that the time teaching cursive writing would be better spent teaching keyboard skills. In this case, students do not actually have to use their hands to create the letters, which will make retention rates lower and not help motor skills at all.
Cursive reinforces learning
When students are only taught the English language in one form, print writing, they only get one chance to learn and memorize the letters. By having to learn cursive as well, it gives students another opportunity to fully comprehend the alphabet. Learning cursive also gives students a clearer understanding of how letters are formed, which will improve their print writing as well.
When students are only taught the English language in one form, print writing, they only get one chance to learn and memorize the letters. By having to learn cursive as well, it gives students another opportunity to fully comprehend the alphabet. Learning cursive also gives students a clearer understanding of how letters are formed, which will improve their print writing as well.
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| Khadijah works to finish up her first cursive words. |
Cursive helps students with disabilitiesStudents with learning disabilities, specifically dyslexia, can have a very hard time with writing in print because many of the letters look similar, particularly b and d. On the contrary, cursive writing offers each letter a very different look. This gives dyslexic students another option; an option that can decrease their dyslexic tendencies and make them more confident in their abilities.
Cursive is an art form
More and more school districts are cutting art from their budgets. This can be detrimental to the full development of students. However, cursive writing can be considered an art form all its own. It is one more way for students to develop the side of their brain that is not developed by basic reading and writing skills. The more diverse a teaching curriculum is, the better.
More and more school districts are cutting art from their budgets. This can be detrimental to the full development of students. However, cursive writing can be considered an art form all its own. It is one more way for students to develop the side of their brain that is not developed by basic reading and writing skills. The more diverse a teaching curriculum is, the better.
Cursive connects students to the past
Without being able to read cursive writing, students will undoubtedly be kept from many opportunities to read important documents. Examples include many historical documents that are written in cursive. While some of these documents are readily available online in print form, not all of them are. It would be silly to expect students to use translators to interpret cursive writing when it is written in their own language.
Not only will students miss out on a part of history, they may very well miss out on reading important letters and cards from their grandparents or great-grandparents. The older generation still writes in cursive on a daily basis. Kids often rely on their parents to translate these letters and cards for them because they simply cannot read the cursive writing. Forty years from now, when these grandparents have passed on, kids may want to look back on these letters, and they should be able to read them.
Without being able to read cursive writing, students will undoubtedly be kept from many opportunities to read important documents. Examples include many historical documents that are written in cursive. While some of these documents are readily available online in print form, not all of them are. It would be silly to expect students to use translators to interpret cursive writing when it is written in their own language.
Not only will students miss out on a part of history, they may very well miss out on reading important letters and cards from their grandparents or great-grandparents. The older generation still writes in cursive on a daily basis. Kids often rely on their parents to translate these letters and cards for them because they simply cannot read the cursive writing. Forty years from now, when these grandparents have passed on, kids may want to look back on these letters, and they should be able to read them.
So, should cursive be taught in school?
We think a resounding ‘Yes!’ If teaching cursive writing is eliminated from schools, children have a lot to lose. Though the world is becoming more and more technology dependent, there is something to be said for retaining a part of classic writing skills in the curriculum. Maybe schools need to start testing on the subject again in order to make teachers take it seriously. Cursive reinforces the mantra that learning should simply be for learning–not just to pass a test.
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