Is cursive writing dead?

[Sherry]

Some food for thought...

10 Reasons to Teach Cursive Writing First Before Print - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

 

[hortysir]

Reminds me of Brad Paisley's, "If I could write a letter to me"
I should of studied Spanish and taken a typing class

 

[Gadawg73]

When I was in school drafting was taught to all the boys and home ec to all the girls.
Like cursive writing, a waste of time.
However, Latin is usefull in learning many other languages.

 

[whitehall]

Schools dumping it in favor of learning the keyboard

Typing Beats Scribbling: Indiana Schools Can Stop Teaching Cursive - TIME NewsFeed

Who still writes in cursive?

That age-old writing method you might never have used since fourth grade will no longer be taught in Indiana schools come fall, thanks to a memo from school officials. Instead, students will be expected to become proficient in keyboard use.

Seems like a smart move as being able to type efficiently is a vital skill in today's world, as opposed to knowing how to write cursive, which — like being able to churn butter and knowing how to hitch a horse to a wagon — is no longer needed

Another sign 'O the times. Does it occur to schools that sometimes people are (God forbid) caught in situations where they don't have access to electronic gadgets? How would you write a message in a bottle if you were lost at sea? Imagine the frustration.

 

[Montrovant]

This is a shame. There is a definite connection between writing with one's hands and learning. Typing doesn't do that.

agreed. there is a latent learning that goes on when you do these things in a tactile manner.


I was taught palmer penmanship, It also taught me discipline. I don't know how many hours I sat and scribbled O's on the edge of O's on the edge of O's to get my hand trained.

The "Palmer" method is beautiful. It's hard to tell if a man or a woman is doing the writing.

This is an example of why, while I'm not necessarily opposed to teaching cursive writing, I am not a fan of it's use. I find printing much easier to read, it has far fewer legibility issues. With this simple Palmer image I found myself having to consciously differentiate some of the letters rather than simply reading the word. Certainly there's an issue of familiarity, as the printed word, whether typed or hand-written, is far more common than cursive. Still, cursive writing seems to suffer more from people giving it their own personal touches. People seem more able to write with a uniform look in print than cursive.

Cursive is the 'prettier' writing. I consider it a decorative form of writing, whereas printing is functional. So, if teaching cursive is helpful in childrens' learning, I am all for it; however, it should not be taught because it is useful in day-to-day life.

 

[chanel]

The sad fact is if it's "not on the test", schools don't want to waste time teaching it. Testing drives all educational decisions. I am a big proponent of cursive handwriting and require it in my reading classes. I firmly believe it helps with spelling, if nothing else. Dyslexic students cannot confuse their "b's and d's" in cursive.

Here's a great article on the benefits.

"The many health perks of good handwriting
Not only does it help the brain develop, it can also improve grades and confidence"

Why handwriting matters - latimes.com

Not mentioned in the article, but worth noting, is that students who use cursive on the SATs generally score higher. It may be a bias, but I doubt it.

 

[random3434]

The sad fact is if it's "not on the test", schools don't want to waste time teaching it. Testing drives all educational decisions. I am a big proponent of cursive handwriting and require it in my reading classes. I firmly believe it helps with spelling, if nothing else. Dyslexic students cannot confuse their "b's and d's" in cursive.

Here's a great article on the benefits.

"The many health perks of good handwriting
Not only does it help the brain develop, it can also improve grades and confidence"

Why handwriting matters - latimes.com

Not mentioned in the article, but worth noting, is that students who use cursive on the SATs generally score higher. It may be a bias, but I doubt it.

Excellent points Chanel.


Yes, it's a shame here in Indiana they are doing away with it. As you said, it's not taught on the "Test" (ISTEP) so why bother?

The people who make decisions like this DON'T teach in the classroom....too bad TEACHERS don't have any say on what is best for our students.

 

[peach174]

Another lefty agenda of dummying our children down.

 

[random3434]

Another lefty agenda of dummying our children down.

Yeah, but Indiana is run by Republicans.

 

[peach174]

Another lefty agenda of dummying our children down.

Yeah, but Indiana is run by Republicans.

It's lefty school officials who are doing it ,not your state legislature.

 

[random3434]

Another lefty agenda of dummying our children down.

Yeah, but Indiana is run by Republicans.

It's lefty school officials who are doing it ,not your state legislature.

So the DOA are lefty school officials? I never knew!

Indianapolis—
The Department of Education will no longer require Indiana's public schools to teach cursive writing beginning this fall.

"The Common Core State Standards do not include cursive writing at all. Instead, students are expected to become proficient with keyboarding skills," the DOE said in a memo sent April 25.

Schools are still free to teach cursive as a local standard but they are equally free to stop teaching it altogether.

Cursive writing: Schools no longer required to teach cursive beginning this fall - fox59.com

 

[random3434]

Here is some info on NCLB, started in 2002:

http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/107-110.pdf

 

[peach174]

Yes they are Dr. Tony Bennett is a liberal Dem and so are the rest of them.
Indiana's definition of "persistently lowest achieving schools"

 

[random3434]

Yes they are Dr. Tony Bennett is a liberal Dem and so are the rest of them.
Indiana's definition of "persistently lowest achieving schools"

Yeah, and most (if not all) the teachers here (in IN) destest him.

Just because he's in charge, doesn't mean we agree with him. Trust me, I'm a so called "lib" and I think this sucks.

 

[peach174]

Yes they are Dr. Tony Bennett is a liberal Dem and so are the rest of them.
Indiana's definition of "persistently lowest achieving schools"

Yeah, and most (if not all) the teachers here (in IN) destest him.

Just because he's in charge, doesn't mean we agree with him. Trust me, I'm a so called "lib" and I think this sucks.

So do I. We have libs on the AZ state school board too and the majority of our state do not like their agenda either. Especially LA RAZA.

 

[chanel]

On a personal note. I remember the battles and tears over handwriting practice when my kids were young, Yet when they went to high school, and were given a choice, they used cursive almost exclusively because it is "faster". Keyboarding may be faster but kids don't use laptops in most classrooms. Notetaking is a very valuable skill.

 

[peach174]

I think we should get all of the State Board of Education out of running our schools and put the Teacher's in charge.
And get rid of the Federal Department of Education also.

 

[MaggieMae]

Some food for thought...

10 Reasons to Teach Cursive Writing First Before Print - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

Every one of those is an important guide to learning to learn. It's especially true that if children (and adults, really) can't spell, they can't read. I even forgive common errors in English grammar, because it's so convoluted that it's difficult to remember "the rule" in many cases. But spelling, and the ease of spelling, if not taught as rote at a young age will not allow a child to properly comprehend anything else put to paper.

 

[MaggieMae]

Reminds me of Brad Paisley's, "If I could write a letter to me"
I should of studied Spanish and taken a typing class

I should HAVE studied Spanish...

Oops.

 

[MaggieMae]

When I was in school drafting was taught to all the boys and home ec to all the girls.
Like cursive writing, a waste of time.
However, Latin is usefull in learning many other languages.

Drafting? Only if the child wanted to pursue some career like engineering or architecture where he/she would need it. Home Ec was taught because in those days, most women's jobs were home makers, not CEOs.