George Couros, a principal from Stony Plain, Alberta, and my digital colleague, has done a nice job of starting a conversation last week on his blog about cursive writing here.
I definitely want to continue this conversation and, while I often write with a view or a position, I am really writing this with less of an opinion and with more of a question today.
I do come to the conversation with my own biases. I don’t know how to handwrite. I was slow to learn how to print and given how messy it was — and still is — I never really took to handwriting. I don’t think I’ve missed out on not knowing how to handwrite. I can read handwritten work, sign my name but, beyond that, it has been a life of printing and, more recently, keyboarding.
I recently discussed this with several teachers in our district who suggested that handwriting is a huge hang-up — particularly for boys — and creates a level of stress that interferes with their learning.
The instruction of cursive writing is not simply teachers clinging to past practices, it is part of the curriculum. In Grade 3, one of the prescribed learning outcomes is:
legible print, and begin to show proper alignment, shape, and slant of cursive writing
This is an important starting place. When I posted to my Twitter network for information (pro and con) on the use of cursive writing in schools, here are some of the thoughts — and humour — I received:
“printing is the norm when it comes to using technology so cursive writing is, in effect, obsolete; no need to teach it”
“maybe it could be part of “history” class”
“it’s not the Middle Ages anymore”
“the tactile feel of pen on paper is important”
Several posters also suggest that handwriting prepares students for high school and university exams which, in large part, are still done by hand, although I think this is less true every year.
I was also pushed to a number of others who have written on the topic.
Dana Huff makes the point:
. . .this complete inability to use cursive concerns me. It shuts off a whole realm of communication to students (even if it is, as has been argued, an archaic means of communication). For example, census images I’ve read while researching my family history were all taken down in cursive, and very few are available as transcriptions. I also experienced the recent joy of reading a diary my great-great-grandmother kept in 1893-1894 — in cursive.
Beth McKinney makes the argument, supported by a number of others:
While students do need to be digitally competent to succeed, teachers need to continue to teach cursive handwriting according to much of the research . . . Though the repetitive drills that accompany cursive handwriting lessons may seem outdated, such physical instruction will help students to succeed. These activities stimulate brain activity, lead to increased language fluency and aid in the development of important knowledge.
Finally, like George Couros in his post on this topic, I am intrigued by the quote from Kate Gladstone:
The more education a child had been allowed to have before his/her handwriting was changed over to cursive — in other words, the fewer months and years s/he had spent learning/using cursive — the larger his or her vocabulary was (as measured by the number of different words used in the student’s writing over the course of a year). The differences were huge — the kids who’d been required to do the least cursive had vocabularies THREE TIMES the size of those who’d been required to do the most cursive.
From this, for some reason, the researchers decided that the second half of 3rd grade was a great time to change everyone’s writing to cursive (which, as the researchers pointed out, basically means putting all other aspects of written English on hold in order to go back to scratch and start all over again with the ABC). An even more logical next step, though, would be to wonder why any age-group at all should be required to spend time on what amounted to an exercise in vocabulary-stunting (not that cursive in itself is bad for your vocabulary but you’re unlikely to increase your vocabulary while that and other things have been put on hold for the sake of changing your handwriting style). The fact that the vocabulary-stunting effect was worst for those who’d been changed to cursive the earliest can — as the researchers noted — be at least partly explained by the fact that any educational damage has worse effects when imposed on younger, more impressionable, more ignorant students.
It was also interesting, in reading the articles shared by my network, that many suggest teaching writing as a precursor to printing, such as Samuel Blumenfeld. This, as I have found out, is quite common in other languages.
As our education system evolves, we are often looking to wedge more into the day–be it physical activity, digital literacy or a range of “21st Century skills”. The really hard part is always letting go. For our Grade 3 students beginning to learn cursive handwriting now, and graduating in 2020, will it be something they need to have learned to engage in that world? If we were building curriculum not from our memories of our learning, but from a blank slate, would cursive handwriting cross the bar to be included? Do teachers and parents hold onto handwriting as important because it is part of our teaching tradition? What about the research that supports the value of cursive writing, even in an increasingly digital age?
I look forward to the continued discussion.
cultureofyes.ca 
My handwriting is awful. Really, really bad. My printing is marginally better, at least it is readable. I had a colleague once who came to me to show me a “forgery” of a permission slip I had given out since “it was obviously written by a small child.”
I think that part of the reason I was disengaged from writing at a young age was because of how painful it was to form letters on paper, whether it was in printing form or cursive form. I had lots of fantastic ideas, but getting them out was difficult for me.
To this day, I always look for an option which doesn’t involve writing. I’ll scan forms as a jpg and print in the fields in Paint to avoid having to expose my poor printing to the world.
There were some exceptions, but for the most part any assignment which required a lot of writing, up until grade 7, was awful. In grade 7, all that changed is that my social sphere shrunk radically and I had little else to do but focus on my grades.
Now of course I write volumes every day. I would say that it is a rare day that I don’t write a couple of thousand words, if you include all of the tweets, blog posts & comments, and emails I write daily.
Guess how much writing I do on paper?
Interesting point, and until I started teaching, not one I thought of because as a girl who loved writing I never felt the difficulty of getting my ideas on paper. However, as a Grade teacher and the parent of a 13 year old boy I have seen how difficult handwriting can be for many of them. The act of writing something down actually hampers their ability to get their ideas out.
My students all use laptops for most if not all of their “written” work. And while I have no empirical data to support me, I can tell you that my students write more and get their ideas down more quickly (as well as spend more time editing them) when they use their laptops. THis is especially apparent for the boys in my class….
Thanks Cari – interesting discussion. I do agree that students in one-to-one situations do seem to produce more work.
Interesting Dave – your story sounds a lot like mine. I wonder how different my elementary experience had been if I had another option – like using a computer. I couldn’t handwrite and my printing was messy so the conversations were often about the appearance of my work rather than the content. I can pick out a couple teachers, who made such a great influence in my learning, they looked past the appearance to the ideas.
Yes, writing is definitely not for everyone. I know of people in high school and even now in university who actually get time and a half to write tests/in class essays, because, I don’t want to call it a medical thing, but they do have a note from a professional that says that they are physicaly not able to write like everyone else. Their ideas are all there, but their penmanship is physically hindering them.
This is an interesting topic, Chris. Personally I think handwriting should still be taught, cause call me traditional, I think its just something that is part of the curriculum. Truthfully, most don’t really use handwriting after they realize that it is a myth that you have to writing handwriting in high school/university. I use a combo of both, just cause connecting priting is faster. At unversity im pretty much the only one who takes notes by hand, as everyone uses the computer. I just find writing notes keeps me more alert and i can write abbreviations and arrows and what not.
But yah, in conclusion, I never used printing beyond grade 7. I think its good just to do what you feel the most comfortable with. To me, as long as you have the ideas, it doesnt really matter if its printing/handwriting
It is interesting whether we see handwriting as an art or as a means of output. I do think we always need to look at a critical eye at curriculum – while we all talk about what could be or should be in school we struggle to identify areas that should no longer be.
It’s taken me a long time, but I have finally begun to accept that my three boys (aged 9, 13 and 14) just aren’t going to be handwriting much in their lives. I still think it’s important, though, that they can read cursive writing. There are several older relatives who send my kids cards and notes and it’s a bit of a shock when your literate twelve-year-old hands you his birthday card from grandma to read out loud because he can’t decipher it. We need to do a better job of exposing children to different styles of handwriting so they can read wherever they are. There are still a lot of people, especially seniors, who are more comfortable using handwriting as their main form of written communication, and we need to honour that.
Nicely said Mary Ann. Even if we look to move away from instructing cursive writing, there is a value in being able to read it – it is a link to a generation and to family histories.
I am with you Chris, my handwriting was never very good. My handwritten notes have needed translating on occasion. I never enjoyed the art of handwriting. I remember my mom buying me a calligraphy kit to try and encourage me to work on it. I remember when I was in France for grade 4 and having had limited exposure to handwriting, learning to do it by looking at the cards above the blackboard and figuring it out. I also remember having my principal commenting on how poor my handwriting was when she was reading out my marks.
When I came back to Canada our school had changed to “loop-free” writing and I was no longer allowed to use handwriting. I had to unlearn a way of writing and focus on learning a new way to write rather than just writing. Focusing on handwriting should not be a detractor to putting thoughts on paper. I do handwrite when I write my Xmas cards or special occasion cards and 3-4 times a year when I actually write a cheque. This is why I do not think teaching handwriting is a crucial literacy skill.
While handwriting no longer has the societal importance that it once did, I do think we have to be careful. There is a fine-motor aspect that goes with it, and something that we must be cognizant of before we eliminate it. What are we going to replace it with to maintain that fine-motor skill practice? Keyboarding is an essential skill to develop, while not necessarily knowing home row perfectly, but at least knowing where all of the characters are on the keyboard, but keyboarding does not require the same level of fine-motor skill.
The more we move away from the “old” way of doing things and bringing in the “new” way of doing things, the more we have to be careful of the hidden costs. Learning to read cursive is still a skill that needs to be developed, but not one that should take an inordinate amount of time. Other than a few letters, most of them, to a 10 year old, should be readily interpreted. I do not see the value of teaching handwriting for handwriting’s sake, but I do worry about the loss of fine-motor skill development that comes with it. As for wanting to handwrite, like I tweeted earlier, there is an app for that.
Thanks Remi – I am very interested in the issue of fine motor skills and the link to brain development often associated with cursive writing. I wonder if there are other ways to move to these important outcomes through other means. And yes, reading cursive writing is key to connecting to our history.
And just what are these Christmas cards that you write about? 🙂
I had just graduated from UBC with a BA in English Lit and Creative Writing when I purchased my first computer, back in the early 80’s. At first I used it only to prepare my “good copies” for submission, tediously transcribing all my handwritten drafts. I was fiercely resistant to composing on the keyboard.
With continued prodding I made the shift however, and now pick up a pen with great reluctance. I can’t imagine trying to compose anything while limited to the speed of handwriting. My handwriting is a spidery, messy scrawl that is a testament to my total impatience with the whole process. Does my abandonment of pen and paper decrease my “language fluency and restrict my development of imporant knowledge”? On the contrary, I believe it frees my intellect to process and formulate ideas tenfold.
I observed my 13 year old son’s painstaking struggle with cursive this year, and was hard put to provide an answer when he asked, with great frustration, what the point of the lesson was. Fine motor skills are not an issue, he can draw and paint with minute detail, so what purpose was being served?
My son’s mind is overflowing with intelligent, thought-provoking responses to his assignments, but hand him a pen and you can virtually see his thoughts grind to a halt. He’s working on keyboarding skills, and voice-to-text software is next on the agenda. Cursive will be the tool of last resort in our house.
Thanks Julia. It does seem that for many of us technology has helped liberate our ideas. Our thoughts were often trapped by our struggles around output. While I appreciate that there is an “art” to handwriting and a value to being able to read it, as it links to our history – for many of us, the move away from cursive writing has given many of us freedom.
I have 4 children who are now 20, 18, 14, and 12. They have all gone through the West Van system. I know all of them had cursive writing, but today, only the 12 year old uses it. The others print, and it’s really messy. I remember trying to get them to do the handwriting workbooks – always a struggle. So, even if it is in the curriculum, that doesn’t mean they will continue to use it… So, is that time well spent…?
However, i do agree that the fine motor skills are important and we need to find ways – maybe it is through cursive writing – to continue to develop them.
It’s encouraging that at least we are examining current practices to ensure they are still relevant in our ever changing world.
Thanks Lori. Even if we don’t change, it is always important to ask the question of why we do things. We are very keen to embrace new for a changing world, but we do find it so hard to question or let go of practices that have long been part of our system.
Along with Julia’s thoughts, I would worry that students might get over-focused on the form of their cursive writing and that could interupt the process and formulation of ideas, as she referred to. So as long as there is the message that draft writing can be messy!? I have deliberately shown my kids how messy my written drafts are! Time and place and audience to consider, as with many aspects of writing. Also, individual differences, as with the development of many skills.
Good sharing of perspectives and experiences here!
Agreed Sheila – it is interesting how many adults have such strong feelings and memories connected to cursive writing (both positive and negative).
Interesting question that hadn’t occurred to me. My oldest is in K and printing pretty well, and I didn’t even consider the “why” of cursive writing.
I’m all for focusing on learning that is going to be of the most use for children, so I can see that it’s a completely valid conversation.
A couple of questions to put out, though: Isn’t cursive much more efficient (faster) than printing? I thought that was the point. I know for me it is. I can write faster than I can print or type, but my cohort (I’m 39) might have been the last that didn’t see typing as “essential.” I never learned to type properly in school, and even though I type all the time now, I still can’t type fast.
I don’t actually remember typing being taught in school, but it’s possible I was setting a new high score on Galaga when it was happening.
What about creative writing? Whenever I write fiction I start with pen and paper–do kids do all that on computers now? That still seems to be common (noting Julia’s comment) but is that because I hang out with old folks like myself?
There seems to be some connection between creativity and pen and paper, but I freely admit that’s subjective and may be purely conditioned.
Good comment Jason – I also may have been working on getting the high score on Galaga. I find that will often start on paper and then move to computer. I do love the ability to quickly change / move / revise that technology allows. I remember the great pain of re-writing drafts of papers in school – trying to use “white-out” to correct mistakes so I did not have to write out another copy.
From my experience, it is precisely the difficulty in editing hand-written text “on the fly” that forces a fluency in thought, and thus in writing.
In Peter Elbow’s “Power of Writing”, he suggests an exercise where one, as a first draft, writes non-stop (for anything, not even pausing to ponder). The goal was the same; the editing process after a very rough draft is where the second-guessing and tuning of the sentence mechanics occurs.
Besides, whether we like it or not, quick, leggible handwriting is a matter of survival in high-school. In-class essays are still done on pen and paper, and I cannot imagine achieving any success without writing the old fashioned way being effortless.
Anyhow, great article.
Thanks Chris,
I, like you, struggled with hand writing. Although I am a relatively strong writer, I was always self-conscious of my penmanship. My best friend became an old “mac classic computer”. It allowed me to write freely and liberated me to express myself. I agree in developing motor skill and in the skill itself; however, how many students will use cursive writing past grade 7? Will we accept work that is not typed, sent in or posted?
Good point Ian. There are many classes now that will no longer accept work that is not typed / submitted electronically.
I apologize in advance for my inability to provide the link to the website, sorry for the inconvenience.
Maybe the discussion should focus on the act of writing, not on the style. In a new piece of research the scientists are looking at the different places in the brain that are activated by handwriting and activated by keyboarding. The implications might be food for thought.
The website is Posit Science. You will find the title “Brain Fitness” February 2011 issue. The article is titled “A Cost to Keyboarding?”
Thanks Susan. Here is the link to the Posit Science site: http://www.positscience.com/
I taught a handwriting unit to my students during my first teaching practicum. I use ‘taught’ in a loose way, as most of my students (grade 4/5) had already encountered some form of handwriting instruction. When the students worked on their handwriting booklets this beautiful, meditative calm swept over our normally boisterous class of 31 students. Though a few students physically struggled with the fine motor skills required for handwriting, most really enjoyed the experience. There were groans and sighs when I asked them to put their booklets away.
I used to have beautiful handwriting but I seem to have lost that skill through copious amounts of note-taking during an art history degree. Today I embrace technology and am much faster at typing than handwriting. However, as an artist I still find myself using writing to express myself. I find handwriting more personal and expressive than typing. In drawing and printmaking we talk about the ‘quality’ of a line; the weight, the balance, the curve or the rigidness. We read meaning from the line. Similarly, I think that we can also extract meaning from the gestures in the handwriting of a teen or adult who has had time to develop their own style of writing (intentionally or otherwise).
I agree with the other comments made on the importance of teaching our students how to read handwriting. I think teaching them to handwrite is simply the easiest way for them to learn to interpret handwriting.
Thanks Nicole – that is an interesting perspective on the response from your class. It sounds that it was actually an anxiety reducing activity for your students that helped them focus.
A couple other links that add context to the discussion.
My colleague in West Vancouver Bob Mackay shared these links from a recent CBC story:
http://www.cbc.ca/ottawamorning/2011/02/08/language-and-brain-lab/
http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2011/02/09/do-you-write-better-when-you-write-by-hand/
As well @DrBergerAtRANDA on Twitter shared the link to a recent CBS story on the topic:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/23/sunday/main7274525.shtml
I just turned 21, so my generational cohort was one in technological transition. We had to learn cursive, back in grade 5 I believe. I remember spending so much time trying to get the letters perfect. All the while, our teacher insisted that for all future grades, all assignments would have to be handwritten. Lo and behold, with a new teacher in grade 6, that promise turned out to be false – he didn’t care; we could write however we wanted to. In later grades, all that mattered was that the final product was legible.
Today, when I do write on paper (rarely, usually only for notes), I either print, or if I’m rushing, have this odd hybrid of somewhat cursive printing.
A point that was brought up in the conversation relates to the process of writing. Most assignments I recall always being written in print form. I don’t remember really doing an in-class essays. That said, in recent years, I’ve been exceedingly frustrated at the lack of technology in the classroom.
I can write at length on a computer. The ideas just pour out, it is much easier to edit, I can correct spelling errors and use a thesaurus to reduce repetitiveness. Having faced several paper-based exams, I find it so frustrating to write these essays (post-secondary and provincial exams). I am so used to writing on a computer that I find I just cannot express myself properly by hand. Plus, my hand get major cramps after an hour of handwriting!
This may correlate with the studies that say writing tends to improve when students are given laptops. The tool allows them to write faster and at greater length, which ultimately helps improve their skills.
Unfortunately, computers were never really accessible in the classroom. I can remember getting class time to work on our Socials project being simply wasted because I was not about to handwrite draft copy – I just waited until I got home to type it up. In a perfect world, every kid would have a laptop or iPad-type device, but we’re not there yet.
In any event, our schools are still in transition. Is cursive writing still worth teaching? Perhaps to the extent that kids can read it if necessary, but it is definitely a dying art. Cursive is a relic of the past, and we should be focused on how to properly handle this transition into a world of 1-to-1 computing that has the potential to truly unleash the literacy skills of students.
Well said Paul. Your story of students wasting time in class, to go home and type up their work, is something I have definitely seen. I do find that I the volume I write is so much greater than what it would be if I didn’t have the technology. I have never written (or read) more than I am doing now.
An interesting discussion to be sure. I teach grade three and my students love learning cursive. I teach it in the third term and send them off for the summer with a little workbook they can practice in. Admittedly, the girls usually enjoy it the most but I reassure them that just like riding a bike or mastering the times tables mostly it just takes practice, practice, practice. Is it archaic? Is poetry? Philosophy? It could be argued that these too are no longer practical or necessary for modern life. However these are some of the higher ideals of education and of being educated. Let’s not be tempted to always take the easy road, it isn’t necessarily the most picturesque.
Thanks Margot for the response. It is an interesting conversation. I guess it does depend if one sees cursive writing as simply output or as more of an art. And yes, there is value in students working through difficult tasks to mastery.
I am one of the few posters here who enjoyed handwriting as a child. I enjoyed writing in all its forms; I was in elementary school just as home computers were making an appearance, but I savoured handwriting, printing, typing on computers, typing on my dad’s typewriter– I loved all of it, as long as I was *creating.* For me, each method brings out a different way of mentally working through the creative or analytical process. It’s not uncommon for me to type something out, then print it off to handwrite additions.
As other posters have pointed out, the act of writing engages our brains in ways that might not be activated otherwise. Also, the ways in which we depict information have varied over time and across cultures, so to unquestioningly shun one method makes me nervous. Are there ways of expressing information that is lost when we only use Word processors? Microsoft Word aligns text in clear, neat lines, uniformly straight lines on uniform, straight pages. What happens when you want movement? When you want to organize ideas differently?
Our culture has favoured linear ways of organizing our thinking, but other cultures have traditionally used other methods. In my experience, typing on computers caters to this linear way of thinking. It may work for us, but it might not work for everyone.
I would hate to deny current and future students the experience of handwriting. I hope these students have the opportunity, like I did, to try various methods of writing, to recognize their strengths or weaknesses for themselves, and then have the skills to choose for themselves which method they would like to use.
Thanks for the this discussion, Mr Kennedy.
Thanks Erin for the response. I think this adds some good context to the discussion. I also think when we talk about using digital formats for expression, we have to look beyond word processing. What is powerful about much of the new technology (tablets, iPads etc.) is that they do allow for greater creativity – notes to be taken in non-linear ways, graphs, diagrams and photos to accompany text. Finally the issue of exposure and choice is also a good one – my bad memories were built on a lack of choice and punishment for poor handwriting skills.
As a typical boy, more interested in road hockey, soccer and snowballs my handwriting is awfull-a hybrid of printing, cursive and the draftsman blueprint style of my prairie tradesman father. It was not seen as important in my house-reading and math were the money tickets.
My wife, with a South African parents, has beautiful cursive handwriting. Well presented, legible script was expected-nothing less for a lady.
My points are these: what are the gender and cultural differences in regard to “correct” way to express yourself on paper.
FYI I still hunt and peck on the keyboard!
Brad – it is very interesting how so many of the comments have divided along gender lines. I hadn’t spent much time thinking about this before I wrote the post, and didn’t expect the differences to be so pronounced.
[…] So, What About Handwriting? « An interesting discussion to be sure. I teach grade three and my students love learning cursive. I teach it in the third term and send them off for the summer with a little workbook they can practice in. Admittedly, the girls usually . […]
As a part time student of calligraphy, I was taught the correct stroke order for printing before starting any cursive writing. At the calligraphy society meetings I met several members who had been invited to teaching grade one and two classes in private schools basic printing, they would be invited back for the later classes to teach writing.
Understanding the correct stroke order for printing results in a very easy transition to cursive writing. Those member that were involved in helping the teacher in the class room indicated that there no gender basis for good hand printing and later good handwriting.
It would be interesting to look into if there is a way to improve handwriting.
Interesting idea Ron – not something I thought about when writing the post.
[…] Chris Kennedy then continued the conversation on his own blog, while incorporating both sides of the argument. He also received over 30 comments on the topic, which proved to me that everyone has an opinion about this. After reflecting on everything I’ve read, I was faced the fact that I must create my own opinion about cursive writing – should I teach it or toss it?? […]
I remember being in Grade 6 when my teacher insisted that all work be done in cursive. In Grade 7 it was no longer neccessary, however I was used to doing so.
My printing skills detoriated to the point where I will get ticked off if I even see the bloody “please print” (sometimes I ignore).
In Grade 10 I had a teacher who wanted me to print, I resisted and continued using cursive (my writing may be loopy, but my printing is about the same as Grade 6).
I rarely print and I find that my hand will get sore If I do so.
I am 19 btw
I remember being in Grade 6 when my teacher insisted that all work be done in cursive. In Grade 7 it was no longer neccessary, however I was used to doing so.
My printing skills detoriated to the point where I will get ticked off if I even see the bloody “please print” (sometimes I ignore) on a form (no wonder so few handwrite, many places don’t even let you).
In Grade 10 I had a teacher who wanted me to print, I resisted and continued using cursive (my writing may be loopy, but my printing is about the same as Grade 6).
I rarely print and I find that my hand will get sore If I do so.
I am 19 btw (and male)
[…] space for new content. One of the most prolific of these debate is handwriting – which I waded into a decade ago (and won’t again here). One lesson from the handwriting debate is as much as we want […]