BETTER BY HAND
Lessons in handwriting used to be an important part of the curriculum in the USA, with daily practice sessions through the first years of school. However, due to the increasing use of keyboards, the emphasis on providing children with good handwriting skills has gradually disappeared. Instead, daily typing lessons might begin as soon as a child enters school, whereas handwriting is only taught once a week. But lately, there has been growing pressure from parents and education experts to reinstate intensive training in handwriting. Interestingly, it is not because of the poor quality of children's handwriting. Rather, it is in response to research which has identified several benefits of writing by hand.(lines 1–8)
Scientists had long assumed that manipulating a pen or pencil required no more than the ability to control hand and finger movements. Writing, they believed, only involved the parts of the brain responsible for such movements. However, a few years ago brain scans revealed that the act of writing also entails the use of additional brain regions – specifically, those involved in reading and memory. These findings may explain the results of studies done on children who were given daily handwriting lessons: It was found that they develop reading skills more quickly, and have a better memory, than children who do not receive such training.(lines 9–15)
At college level, the benefits of writing by hand are even more remarkable: Students who take handwritten notes in class have been found to get higher grades on their exams than those who type their notes on a computer. Obviously, the speed of typing makes it very popular with students. But that, says Professor of Education Jonathan Harper, is precisely the problem. "When students type, their notes are likely to contain almost every word the lecturer says," he explains. "But when you're writing, you're forced to summarize what you hear. To do that, you have to think much more deeply about the material, and that is later reflected in your exam results."(lines 16–22)
Despite the proven value of acquiring good handwriting skills, school authorities have been reluctant to increase the number of lessons. The timetable is already packed with important subjects, they claim, and none of them should be dropped. Some families have decided to take the responsibility upon themselves instead. For example, the organization Pick Up Your Pen (PUP), established by a group of American parents, provides materials for helping children practice handwriting at home. "Our kids have been doing better in so many subjects since we started working with them," says Emma Kelly, a member of PUP and mother of two. "We hope the success of initiatives like ours will persuade schools to find the time to teach handwriting effectively."(lines 23–30)