February 25, 2016
Mourning
Cursive Handwriting
by Michelle Nascimento
Abstract: Handwriting, especially cursive, is being
phased out in schools and no longer being taught. Although there are many
benefits that come from learning cursive handwriting, it is not considered
important by school districts today and has been dropped from curriculum in
order to make room for the instruction and study of other subjects. This paper
will discuss how the children of the future are affected by not learning how to
write in cursive and their loss of the brain to paper connection. Although
technology is the way of the future, there are still many benefits to be had in
holding on to an art form and tool like handwriting. Some of the benefits at
stake are: calligraphy as an art form, hand eye co-ordination, developing fine motor
skills as well as creative development. A child also lacks certain
comprehension skills in reading and writing by not learning proper and
practiced handwriting. This paper will also discuss how parents and teachers
have created a way to keep cursive alive with volunteer programs. Sources used
in writing this paper are articles from the Journal
of Motor Behavior, Journal of Instructional Psychology and The American Journal of Occupational Therapy. All sources are authored by experts in
related fields such as Media and Culture, and Psychology and Neuromotor
Behavior, which is the study of the control of motor skills and development.
Keywords: handwriting, education, pedagogy,
cursive, literacy, motor skills, hand eye coordination, penmanship
The Decline
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| The English alphabet, both upper and lower case letters, written in D'Nealian cursive. The grey arrows indicate the starting position for each letter. For letters which are written using more than one stroke, grey numbers indicate the order in which the lines are drawn. The green tails on the front of several of the letters are for connecting them to the previous letter; if these letters are used to begin a word the green portion is omitted. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Take a
moment to imagine a world where viewing the English language seems as foreign to
U.S. citizens as ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. What would a typical day be
like without being able to read or write? Imagine a world full of illiterate
people. The teaching of handwriting is no longer being emphasized in schools.
Cursive handwriting especially, which was once considered an art form, has now
gone out the window. Instead, students are being taught to use digital devices
such as tablets for reading, writing and turning in assignments. This type of
digital learning causes a schism between the learner and the subject matter at
such a young age. No longer does the early learner physically interact in a
hands on way. The act of pushing buttons instead of forming letters
causes a disconnect between mental and physical aspects of learning. The acts
of reading and writing go hand in hand and one can not improve one without also
improving the other. Generation after generation, slowly this dumbing down of
student’s abilities will have detrimental affects on society as a whole and
will lead to the illiteracy of the world at large. The loss of handwriting
leads to developmental learning issues; no longer will students be capable of
reading, writing and expressing themselves creatively, leaving them at a
disadvantage of complex comprehension and fine motor skills.
It all
sounds like a post apocalyptic science fiction novel, but truth be told, the
condition of literacy in the United States is not too far off from the
description just given. Not enough time is being spent teaching handwriting in
schools and cursive handwriting has been omitted from the most public school curriculum
all together. In the past, according to Vi, “Students spent 45 minutes
every day on handwriting. Penmanship was a separate grade on report cards.
Today, handwriting instruction might get 10 or 15 minutes a few times a week. Keyboarding
skills are taught much earlier, now” (357-359). Without
enough time dedicated to the practice of cursive handwriting, the future
leaders of this world will read poorly and
have failing comprehension skills. In the past, when writing an assignment by
hand, if a student made a mistake, White Out was not allowed to be used, the
student must start the assignment over again. Students were taught their
multiplication tables by writing them out five times each, but no longer are
those glory days. Al-Ghabra adds, “The spread of technology
gave a logic reason for teachers and students to quit handwriting; they became
machine dependents that they cannot make resolutions without using any. Hence,
the teaching process does not encourage students to write, and this leads to
the decay of their academic performance” (168-78). So why are children not taught proper handwriting skills anymore? As
with any new technology, the reason why cursive handwriting fell off the map
was out of convenience. As new technology emerged, teachers found that it was
easier to grade their students, who turned in assignments digitally. Grading
became quicker and easier because teachers could request a standard 12 point
Times New Roman font instead of wasting time attempting to decipher what little
Timmy was trying to convey through shotty left handed cursive penmanship.
However, like the moral of the story of the film Idiocracy (2006), we find that convenience is not always proven to
be the best avenue for the benefit of human kind.
Common
“Mis-Core-ception”
More
importantly, this travesty all starts and ends with standardized testing, which
is the act of testing students to ensure that schools are actually teaching
them what they need to know for the grade level they are in. According to Vi, “Indicators
are that technological advances and state-mandated tests, in addition to other
variables, are forcing cursive writing to become a casualty of the American
educational landscape” (91-110).
Unfortunately for the students, standardized testing works more for in favor of
the school than it does for the them. James and Attwood proclaim, “The
Common Core Standards no longer require elementary students to learn cursive,
and some schools are dropping the teaching of cursive entirely, dismissing it
as an ‘ancient skill’” (91-110). If the creators of Common Core really had the
student’s best interests in mind they would never drop cursive handwriting from
the curriculum because of the many proven benefits, such as those that James
and Attwood have researched. In the study, the researchers found that learning
cursive as a tool can assist with cognitive development and help the brain work
at peak efficiency, a term dubbed “Functional Specialization”. Different areas
of the brain are illuminated on an MRI machine while learning how to write in
cursive showing a high level of activity. James and Attwood did not detect this
sort of brain activity during their experiment when the same sample typed on a
keyboard (91-110). Through their research James and Attwood conclude that, “the motor experience that is important for
visual recognition is through constructing the form of the letter, not by the
simple motor act of typing” (91-110). This brings the reader also to the
conclusion that the human brain functions at a higher level when a student is
learning to write by hand versus typing on a keyboard. There are different parts of the brain all
working at the same time in order to produce the work that is partially labor
and partially creative.
Although standardized
testing could have metaphorically nailed the cursive coffin shut, there are
statistics regarding SATs that show students perform better when they write in
cursive. Carpenter states,
Cursive
enthusiasts also point to recent College Board data on the new writing section
of the SATs, introduced in 2006. The data indicate that the 15 percent of
students who wrote their essay in cursive did slightly better than those who
used some other type of handwriting. Cursive proponents say this is because
those writing in cursive could write faster, allowing them to write longer
essays (13-15).
A small conundrum within
the school system here, where cursive handwriting is not focused on in Common
Core curriculum, however later, at college level, students who write in cursive
end up performing better on the SAT. Hammerschmidt and Sudsawad also mention that,
“Past studies showed that when teachers were given
papers to evaluate, varying only in their degree of legibility, the papers with
better handwriting received better grades” (n.p). In support of this, James and
Attwood found in their research,
Cursive writing, compared to printing, should
be even more beneficial because the movement tasks are more demanding, the
letters are less stereotypical, and the visual recognition requirements create
a broader repertoire of letter representation. Cursive is also faster and more
likely to engage students by providing a better sense of personal style and
ownership (91-110).
It is definitive
then, if common sense amounts for anything, that if cursive handwriting is no
longer taught, future students are more likely to perform poorly on the SAT
than students have in the past because generally and overall, students with
better handwriting have received better grades. Why is it so difficult for
parents, teachers and law makers to see the disconnect here? How can anyone not
deem developing handwriting skills pertinent in American schools?
Besides Grades, What are the Risks?
 |
| English: Example of Spencerian script. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Additionally,
studies have shown that there is much more at risk than dropping SAT scores.
Students who spend time practicing cursive handwriting are much better off
academically than those who do not. Feder and Majnemer state that
handwriting skills help fine tune student’s motor skills and children that have
trouble with cursive handwriting will also have trouble with reading, writing and simple
communication in the future (n.p). This all boils down to a simple failure to communicate.
Al-Ghabra states “No one can argue that there is
no relation between hand and brain” (168-78). By learning cursive
handwriting and putting it into practice, the student will train their brain to
recognize and recall information much quicker than a student who is not
practiced in this skill. Graham and Herbert agree with this notion that reading
and writing are closely related, “…reading and
writing share a close and reciprocal relationship, and there is evidence that
reading instruction can improve students' writing. Consequently, it is likely
that writing instruction in turn improves students' reading skills” (710-744, 784-785.) In order to become
proficient in communicating in the English language, or any language, one must
be able to read and write effectively, otherwise there is the consequence of
illiteracy. Feder and Majnemer make clear the future of children who have poor
handwriting could also potentially suffer from lower grades in math, poor
vocabulary and attention problems (n.p).
Coincidentally,
fine motor skills are also at risk when students do not practice their
handwriting. In a study conducted by Sulzenbruck, et al, where a wide range of
people were asked to perform hand eye coordination tasks of placing the tip of
a pen in a notch, as well as tracing procedures involving hand-eye coordination.
The sample Sulzenbruck’s team used had a wide range of ages, as well as typing
skills and handwriting skills. Astonishingly enough, the results were in favor
of those who regularly practiced handwriting. Sulzenbruck, et al writes,
“Individuals who primarily used keyboards and computers to produce written
texts exhibited slower performance in a task measuring the precision of
continuous arm-hand movements than people who regularly practiced the skill of
handwriting” (247-251). The study goes on to state that not only is computer
use a detriment to fine motor skills it can also cause damage to other aspects
of human behavior (Sulzenbruck, et al, 247-251). No doubt these developmental
issues caused by the loss of handwriting can also be attributed to different
types of learning problems such as dyslexia.
What do the People
Want?
In a survey conducted
by the author, Nascimento, 27 people of the age 21 or older were asked if they
believed handwriting should be taught in schools and all 27 people agreed. When
asked if handwriting was important, the researcher received positive responses
that cursive handwriting was important. Some of the comments are as follows:
“I feel it’s the basic foundation of an education!”
“Yes, I believe it is a valuable skill to help with learning to read.
Also, we can’t only rely on computer- in some situations, that just isn’t
feasible and person needs to be able to legibly write to be understood.”
“Yes, because historical documents are in cursive handwriting and
handwriting is still used on a daily basis. Even signing a name has to be
either printed or in cursive. If we become dependent on technology and it fails
us some day, the basics will be lost if it’s not continued.”
“[F]urther develops motor skills”
“It’s beautiful and more personal then anything digital. Letter writing
is a lost art! Cursive writing takes practice, teaches discipline.”
“I think it creates a solid foundation for writing in general.”
“Hand writing will become a lost art. It is part of kinesthetic
learning.”
The reader will
find a general consensus, from the data and opinions collected that the
majority of parents are aware that their children are not learning cursive in
school, despite the fact that they believe that it is an important skill to
obtain. In fact, over 50% of the parents reported that their child is not being
taught handwriting in school (n.p). Again, the reader can see a disconnect here
from personal opinion regarding handwriting skills in comparison to the skills
that are actually being taught in schools today.
Cursive Club
As
a result of this disconnect, parents and teachers have started “Cursive Clubs”
in schools across the country to make
up for the lack of education of cursive handwriting. Students take cursive
handwriting classes on a volunteer basis. According to Gartner, “In a 2013 online poll by Harris Interactive, 79
percent of adults and 68 percent of children said cursive should still be
taught” (n.p). It is a surprise that more parents and teachers are not
up in arms regarding the integration of Common Core curriculum and the demise
of cursive instruction. After all, the proof is in the pudding, nothing is
gained if the instruction of handwriting is taken away, but there is much to be
lost.
NPR
newscaster Monica Miller stated that cursive handwriting advocate, grandmother Sylvia
Hughes understands the importance of the skill and donates her time to teaching
children handwriting in an after school program (n.p). What people need to be
made to understand is that the loss of handwriting affects could be detrimental
to our society as a whole. This is not just about wanting to hold onto
something of antiquity. Historical documents such as the Declaration of
Independence are penned in cursive, how can you expect someone to respect your
rights as a United States citizen if you cannot even read the document in it’s
original form for yourself? Carpenter adds, “It may be too late to halt
cursive's decline. Fewer and fewer teachers today know how to write cursive
themselves” (13-15). It is no wonder the teachers are not advocates for cursive
instruction, they already have too much to teach in too little time and they
cannot write in script never mind teach it to a bunch of squirmy kids. That
does not take away from the fact that “We need literate individuals in our
society” Vi eloquently puts this harsh truth into perspective. Instead we are
left with children who have a hard time developing sentence structure and word
comprehension (357-359). Children at the age of 3 know how to navigate an
iPhone better than their grandparents that own the technology. At the age of
10, children are able to execute characters in a gaming world with precision
while playing with adults across the country online, yet they have never read a
book willingly. What place will these children serve as adults in our future
society after their education system has failed them?
Occupational Therapy
As an
alternative, parents can enroll their children at learning centers such as
Catapult Learning (formerly known as the Sylvan Learning Center) for additional
instruction. These types of learning centers exist to provide supplemental
instruction in various subjects if the parent or guardian does not feel that
their child is being provided with proper education or the child’s needs are
not being met within their school district.
Typically,
occupational therapy in school is not supplied unless the child displays a
diagnosed learning disability (Skibbe, et al., n.p). The downfall of these
types of Occupational Learning Centers are the high per class or per hour cost.
Skibbe goes on to write that parents should be on the look out for different
writing opportunities that they can task their child with as well as ensuring
that their child has many writing tools and utensils at their disposal (n.p).
It is unfortunate that parents cannot trust educators to teach everything their
child will need to learn in their time at school, however, it is imperative
that the parent also become involved and provide their child with a life time
of education.
In
conclusion, it begs to question, how important is handwriting? Will humanity
find itself stuck in a technological world one day where pen and paper do not
exist? Will the act drawing letters be lost on man kind? If the teaching
of cursive handwriting is no longer emphasized in schools, what other art forms
will become extinct and attribute to the end of man kind? One can see the very
obvious disconnect that is created between material learning and student. So
much so, that the loss of cursive handwriting leads to developmental learning
issues which make things like reading and writing more difficult. Handwriting and literacy are very closely
related and the loss of handwriting could have detrimental affects on the
literacy of future generations. Parents, teachers and law makers should have an
active role in ensuring that handwriting stays alive in schools for the sake of
society. The loss of cursive
handwriting as a tool and a skill can snowball and have detrimental affects on
society to an end that students will no longer be capable of reading, writing
or expressing themselves creatively. Thus, leaving the future generations
growingly illiterate and at a disadvantage of fine motor skills and complex
comprehension.
Works
Cited
Al-Ghabra, Iman. "Handwriting: A Matter
of Affairs." English Language
Teaching 8.10 (2015): 168-78 ProQuest.
24 Feb. 2016.
Carpenter, C. “Is this the end of cursive writing?”
Christian Science Monitor, 99(244): (2007, November 14). 13-15.
Retrieved February 12, 2009, from Newspaper Source database.
Feder,
Katya P., and Majnemer, Annette. "Handwriting Development, Competency, and
Intervention." Wiley Online Library. DMCN
Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2016.
Graham,
Steve, and Michael Hebert. "Writing to Read: A Meta-Analysis of the Impact
of Writing and Writing Instruction on Reading." Harvard Educational Review 81.4 (2011): 710,744,784-785. ProQuest. 25 Feb. 2016.
Gartner,
Lisa. "Erasing Script: Can Cursive make a Comeback?" The Ledger, Feb 03 2014 ProQuest. 25 Feb. 2016.
Hammerschmidt,
Sandra L., and Sudsawad, Pimjai. "Teachers' Survey on Problems with
Handwriting: Referral, Evaluation, and Outcomes." AJOT The American Journal of Occupational Therapy. n.p., Mar. 2004.
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Idiocracy. Dir. Mike Judge. Perf. Luke
Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. 2006. DVD.
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Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.npr.org/2013/04/08/176570621/cursive-club-tries-to-keep-handwriting-alive>.
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Michelle. “COLL300 Research Paper Survey: Handwriting”. February 25, 2016.
<https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-RT69VT9W/>
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