How handwriting benefits the brain and offers a new possibility in schools

Learning to write in cursive appears to activate neural pathways important for learning; California will adopt the technique again in schools starting this year.

Starting in 2024, children in grades one through six in public schools in California, USA will once again have to learn to write cursive.

This spelling abandoned the California curriculum in 2010, but is now back: a movement similar to what is happening in more than 20 American states, to varying degrees.

Cursive writing – where you write in a cursive-like script, without necessarily removing your pencil from your notebook – came to be considered a dying technique in the United States.

Now, the California ruling reignites educational and scientific debates about the value of handwriting, as well as its benefits for the brain and the global implications if this technique were to fall into oblivion.

Californian neuroscientist Claudia Aguirre says that “more and more research supports the idea that cursive writing, especially compared to typing, activates specific neural pathways that facilitate and optimize language learning and development.”

In Brazil, the National Common Core Curriculum (BNCC) includes teaching the ability to write in cursive in the early years of primary school.

Karin James, professor of Brain and Psychological Sciences at Indiana University (USA), applies her research to children aged 4 to 6 years.

He found that learning letters by handwriting activates brain networks that are not activated by typing on a keyboard. This includes areas of the brain that play a crucial role in reading development.

Other research, conducted by Virginia Berninger (University of Washington), has also shown that cursive writing, printed materials and typing use related but different brain functions.

Furthermore, in the case of keyboard typing, the finger movements are the same for any letter key. As a result, if children only learned to write, they would miss out on the opportunity to develop skills gained through understanding and mastering the skill of writing.

A small Italian study shows that teaching cursive to first-year students can improve reading skills.

Despite this, teaching cursive writing to young children was becoming increasingly rare. In several countries this technique is no longer mandatory.

In the United States, although teaching cursive is making a comeback, it is not standardized, which poses a challenge for teachers.

“More than 20 states have added cursive writing requirements to their educational guidelines between grades 3 and 5,” says Kathleen S. Wright, founder and executive director of the Handwriting Collaborative, an organization that teaches best practices in cursive writing. sector. “But this requirement is not enforced or funded, so handwriting instruction is not consistently addressed.”

So, California teachers will now have to figure out how to integrate cursive into their lessons.

Nonetheless, the state’s initiative is seen as beneficial in a post-pandemic time when people are looking for ways to teach skills that reduce children’s dependence on screens.

“We see more and more parents complaining that their children are struggling in school, that they are not being taught to write because they mostly use computers and other devices,” says Kelsey Voltz-Poremba, assistant professor of occupational therapy at the University of Pittsburgh (USA ). ).

Cursive writing is still widely taught in Western Europe, particularly in countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Portugal and France.

Finland abolished compulsory cursive writing in its schools in 2016.

Canada tried to abolish cursive writing, but began teaching it again in 2023. Ontario’s Ministry of Education has reinstated the cursive writing requirement and is becoming something of a laboratory for other regions trying to figure out what the best practices are for this teaching, how long cursive writing lessons should last, and how often this technique should be taught.

Amid so many global differences, research highlights that there are no disadvantages to learning cursive. And while the link between handwriting and improved reading isn’t necessarily causal, some educators worry that abandoning cursive could worsen students’ ability to read texts.

Additionally, the simple act of writing aids memory and word learning.

“It is important to find a balance to ensure that students acquire skills that can be acquired without the use of technology,” says specialist Voltz-Poremba.

With reporting by BBC Future’s Nafeesah Allen

Read the original report (in English) on the website Future of the BBC

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.