As schools prepare for the new school year, more and more are finding cursive lessons falling by the wayside. “The Wichita Eagle” is the latest paper to describe the failure of schools to maintain the teaching of handwriting, specifically cursive. Students in the Kansas State University’s College of Education are unable to remember how to form the letters. The only practice that the elementary students are receiving is in grades 3 through 5, and this may quickly change.
The Common Core Standards of English Language Arts and Literacy stopped including cursive handwriting as one of its requirements. More and more states are adopting these standards, thus possibly eliminating its instruction altogether. One argument is that today’s society is so heavily focused on using technology that there is no reason to teach handwriting.
But we do use handwriting on a regular basis. We still jot notes to ourselves and take messages for people. We make shopping lists and sign cards. We must legibly sign our names on credit card slips and checks. Teachers still require handwritten essay questions and fill-in-the-blanks on tests. The ACT and SAT still require handwritten components. Classrooms are not equipped with computers at every single desk for children to use all the time.
Cursive writing is a skill that is not being tested on standardized tests. Unfortunately, most teaching in mainstream schools today is geared strictly to those tests. As test scores continue to deteriorate, frantic efforts to cram the information into students’ heads take precedence over other areas. The art of writing goes on the back burner. Some schools, such as those in Kokomo, Indiana, are going to continue to teach cursive. Students will no longer receive a handwriting grade, though, nor will they spend money on the handwriting workbooks.
It goes beyond simply being able to form the letters. Cursive writing connects letters. Connecting letters makes words and connecting those words means connecting thoughts. Using a fluid method of conveying those thoughts helps them to be expressed in a fluid and articulate manner. An article in The Atlantic quotes neurologist Frank Wilson, who says that the physical movement of cursive writing helps to stimulate the brain and to obtain more knowledge.
Maria Montessori recognized this concept over 100 years ago. The core of her philosophical approach to the Montessori method of teaching children is that the hand is the direct link to the mind. Young children are instructed in language arts through the introduction of the sandpaper letters. Sandpaper in the shape of a letter is mounted on a wooden background. The child traces the letter in the same method it is written, while simultaneously saying its phonetic sound. The child is using multiple senses to practice phonics while also indirectly practicing writing. When the pencil is placed in his hand, the child instinctively knows how to accurately reproduce the letter.
Montessori also preferred to teach her youngsters cursive over printing. Cursive letters are most often written starting at the bottom line and moving upward. Watch how a preschool child naturally writes letters. It is more comfortable to work from bottom to top. Cursive writing fits the child’s natural instincts. The flow and movement also engages the child in language learning. Children want to learn how to write cursive. They ask to write cursive. Mastering its art also gives them a sense of accomplishment.
Engagement in learning could also potentially be impacted by an inability to connect with archival material. This means children are losing the ability to learn more about personal and world history. If they can’t read someone’s journal from yesteryear, they miss out on a wealth of information. Sure, it could be transcribed to typewritten print. But part of learning that history is holding it in your hands.
Cursive hasn’t yet taken its final breath. Its fans need to provide its life support and maintain its teaching in current educational programs.
Sources:
Common Core Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf
Rush, Danielle. “Area schools keeping cursive writing.” Kokomo Tribune. http://kokomotribune.com/local/x1424069450/Area-schools-keeping-cursive-writing
Tenner, Edward. “Handwriting is a 21st-Century Skill.” The Atlantic . http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/04/handwriting-is-a-21st-century-skill/237998/
Tobias, Suzanne Perez. “Cursive writing fading from focus in schools.” The Wichita Eagle . http://www.kansas.com/2011/08/08/1965613/cursive-writing-fades-from-focus.html
Zezima, Katie. “The Case for Cursive.” NY Times . http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/us/28cursive.html?_r=2