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The article referenced in the piece above is NOT about cursive, but about practicing any skill. This applies to any skill like riding a bike or playing the violin (or writing).
In the August 8 Science, Reza Shadmehr reports that for several hours after a person first learns a new motor skill such as playing the violin or riding a bike, the brain is hard at work consolidating and storing the new memory.
I - and my kids - went to Catholic school, where cursive is still emphasized. It also teaches the small motor skills needed to print or write legibly. I see kids and *adults* who can barely print legibly, much less sign their name in cursive. There will always be papers and documents to sign and fill out that will require legible printing and a signature. There is no reason not to teach it throughout grade school.
Of course, in the future when virtually no one is able to read or write script, those who do will be able to send each other secret messages. Like spies!
The article referenced in the piece above is NOT about cursive, but about practicing any skill. This applies to any skill like riding a bike or playing the violin (or writing).
There were three different pieces which referenced multiple articles and research. Some were strictly about cursive writing and some about the skills and processes involved in cursive writing. The repetition and practice is but one aspect of it. Cursive writing serves many purposes. As a person who has spent a great deal of time in classes myself, if I want to remember the content of a class lecture taking notes assists greatly and writing cursive allows that to quickly and efficiently happen. I have also figured out that recopying information by hand more easily transfers information into my long term memory. That was a heck of a lot easier because I could do so in cursive. We need to bring back cursive writing and, yes, penmanship. I think we need to do it more for the skills and processes of cursive writing than the end product. Yes, there might be other ways to try and do that but cursive writing is the ideal way to do it because it is an easy, cheap, multi-purpose way for schools to assure those are learned.
If the youth today are not learning cursive how will they sign their name to legal/financial documents ?
Are we going back to the "X" ? Will printed names be accepted in the future ?
Seems like we're going backwards, not forwards in education.
Another poster said it right..cursive will become the "secret language" of the educated.
Eh, I don't know. Most people can't read other languages, but they can read the translations of it and appreciate/discuss the text that way. It'll be similar with cursive (although I would think most could decipher cursive easily enough with slight effort--my guess is the kids didn't really take the time to try).
I am all for replacing cursive with more modern skills.
It is still part of our Program of Studies, beginning in 2nd grade.
It is still part of our Program of Studies, beginning in 2nd grade.
I don't doubt it...I've never seen one of my 8th graders use it though. The state testing essays are all done on computer now, and when I have them hand write something for class, they always choose to print. I cannot remember a single assignment where a kid wrote in cursive. I'd rather spend more time teaching them to print quickly/legibly, because when given a time limit their printing goes to trash.
I live outside of DC and try to visit all the wonderful treasures we have to enjoy, like the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Smithsonian to name but a few. I remember the hours of penmanship in which we learned how to properly write letters in cursive and eventually, write entire pages in it. I honestly didn't believe that it could be such a big deal to take it out of curriculum because electronic signatures are very popular and becoming increasingly so. Sometimes we have to evolve with the times and I accepted that. However, I witnessed things during my last trip that honestly made me sad.
I am all for children and adults being well versed in computers, and although I am not a fan of texting or anything similar to that, I never realized that there were consequences with choosing to stray from the basics many of us grew up learning in school. However, when touring the Archives and visiting and reading through the copies of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights that there were far too many kids that kept commenting that they couldn't read them. Yes, there are some parts of these documents in which they were treated poorly for so long that the legibility has suffered, so it can be a bit difficult. But...they weren't referring to that, rather to the fact that they didn't know how to read cursive.
Our country was founded by people who painstakingly and admirably wrote out each and every word that we continue to live by yet they cannot read or appreciate them? Do we let go of the very foundation of our country by eliminating the education that allows us to appreciate it like it should be? It wasn't until this visit that I started to think about it and how I want my daughter to be educated. I want her to look at those documents as not just another attraction, place to see tourists, or where fieldtrips go. I know that these documents are typed out as well, but there is just something about being able to read the actual words that the founders put to paper that makes me appreciate it more.
Maybe it is time to go back to basics?
Oh please.
This notion that if you aren't taught to write in cursive you cannot read it is just plain old wrong. Therefore this entire thread is based on a fallacy.
My sister never learned cursive due to a move to a new school. She can read it just fine. I can't write in calligraphy but I can read it just fine. Reading and writing are not the same skill.
And if you want your child to learn a useless skill like writing in cursive, than teach them on your own time instead of dictating that EVERYONE learn something very few people use anymore.
I witnessed things during my last trip that honestly made me sad.
I am not a fan of texting or anything similar to that,
they didn't know how to read cursive.
I am not 100% we shouldn't eliminate cursive but your original post does not convince me that we shouldn't. Your only argument was some students couldn't read the words because they were in cursive. The words have been made available in readable format.
I would love it if instead of cursive (or literature or even some history and art), kids learned from an early age and throughout their education, how to use and manipulate spreadsheets. Yes, Excel. How many people in the white collar workplace DON'T use spreadsheets daily? A LOT more than use cursive (or history or art or literature). Those can be electives or simply learned on their own by checking out a book in the library.
More math, computer skills, health, fitness, and physical education. Less literature, social sciences, and arts.
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