The End of Handwriting
6 days ago
- #education
- #handwriting
- #cognitive benefits
- The author credits their good handwriting to their mother, an engineer with perfect block letters and ornate cursive, rather than Catholic school.
- Handwriting is declining due to digital technology, with schools shifting focus to typing and AI reducing the need for manual writing.
- Despite the decline, handwriting has cognitive benefits, aiding literacy and memory retention more effectively than typing.
- Research shows that children with more device usage may lack fine motor skills necessary for handwriting, impacting their readiness for writing in kindergarten.
- Experts debate the necessity of cursive writing but agree on the cognitive advantages of handwriting for learning and communication.
- Overreliance on keyboards can lead to 'character amnesia,' where individuals forget how to write characters, especially in languages like Chinese.
- AI's role in education is prompting a potential resurgence in handwriting as a means to prevent cheating and prove student authenticity.
- Reverting to handwritten exams, like blue books, raises concerns about fairness, as poor penmanship could unfairly affect grades regardless of cognitive ability.
- Handwriting may become a critical tool for demonstrating comprehension and originality in an AI-dominated educational landscape.