Tag: Handwriting

Bookmarked The story of handwriting in 12 objects (bbc.com)

A new exhibition traces the remarkable evolution of writing. Cameron Laux picks 12 highlights offering insights into one of humanity’s greatest achievements.

Cameron Laux reports on a new exhibition involving 100 objects which capture the development of writing over time. Laux documents 12 of the items to demonstrate change over time. I wonder if the last item in the exhibition involves the end of handwriting? This collection also reminds me of the BBC Radio 4 series from a few years ago A History of the World in 100 Objects.
Bookmarked Cursive Handwriting and Other Education Myths (Nautilus)

The grip that cursive has on teaching is sustained by folklore and prejudice.

This is a deep dive into the benefits of cursive handwriting. This is another one of those ‘the way it has always been done’ stories. It is useful to read this along side Bernard Bull’s post and the Future Tense podcast which explores handwriting in general.

📓 Handwriting

Bernard Bull unpacks the arguments for and against teaching handwriting. This builds on the ideas discussed on RN Future Tense.

Debates about the future of handwriting (and cursive more specifically) has grown ever since keyboarding demanded a space in the school experience. Proponents of handwriting defend their stance in many ways, and advocates for burying the practice of cursive or handwriting at large have a response to each one.[source](http://etale.org/main/2017/04/05/should-young-people-still-learn-cursive/)

Gary Stager argues that the pencil has ‘retarded literacy’. He shares his hope that the coronavirus and the move to online learning may bring an end to this:

I harbor no doubt that the pencil has retarded literacy development. It spawned the five-paragraph essay, inauthentic “writing” assignments, and has made life unpleasant for teachers sifting through piles of student chicken scratch. The pencil has fundamentally limited the quality and volume of student writing. This is indisputable.

You learn to write by writing. When you waste several years teaching kids, not one, but two different styles of ancient stick scratching, you severely diminish opportunities for students to say something with coherence, persuasion, beauty, or personal voice.

Word processing makes it possible to write more, better, and quicker, while the editing process is continuous and fluid. You may still turn in X number of drafts to satisfy an assignment, but each of those drafts is the product of countless micro-drafts. Best of all, word processing eliminates another useless and ineffective subject of bygone eras, Spelling instruction! Bonus! #winning(source)

Steve Wheeler argues that handwriting is all about personal preference:

Are you more adept at typing on a keyboard, or handwriting? Which can you use more effectively to articulate your ideas? Which offers the most provisionality (ability to change, edit, add, delete etc)? And which mode enables you to capture your ideas more quickly? There are clearly other questions we could add, but I hope I have shown that the choice is down to the individual. The ultimate question is whether the next generation of students are going to choose to write their notes by hand, or use digital technology for note taking. I believe it will be overwhelmingly the latter option.source