(Adapted from Christine Groot for Houston Accueil, October 2021)
Over the past few decades, digital technology has become increasingly important. Just a few years ago, countries such as the United States, Norway and Finland wondered whether it was still relevant to learn to write by hand, and questioned the value of handwriting and cursive. They recommended learning to write with a keyboard. This recommendation sparked off strong reactions, and cognitive scientists put forward numerous research studies. These countries have gradually reversed their position.
Cursive writing back on the curriculum :
Since 2019, handwriting has been back on the curriculum in the United States. But what about cursive writing? How important is handwriting in learning? Can we differentiate between the benefits of cursive and script writing? Handwriting is a mental representation, a motor and linguistic act that uses our senses: touch, sight and hearing. It’s a complex activity, because it’s not innate and takes a long time to learn, up to the age of 13 or 14.
The benefits of cursive writing:
- Better learning to read and memorize; Neuroscience research has shown that learning cursive handwriting enables better learning to read and improves short- and long-term memorization.
- Improves writing skills; Finally, learning handwriting is also a good way to develop writing skills.
