“Children with and without handwriting disabilities were able to write more—and more quickly—when using a pen rather than a keyboard to compose essays, according to new research,” says a study by Virginia Berninger, a University of Washington professor of educational psychology who studies normal writing development and writing disabilities. The study looked at children’s ability to write the alphabet, sentences, and essays using a pen and a keyboard.
I found this study particularly interesting, as more schools move away from teaching cursive writing to children. I believe cursive is an important skill to learn, even as we approach an age where we will be signing our names on touch screen computers. The physical links between our motor skills and our brains is something I believe is best developed when we apply thinking skills to small motor skills. My children’s school continues to teach cursive writing, and, after reading this article, I am even more convinced that it is a worthwhile learning experience, even if the world changes so much that it is rarely used by them when they grow up.
Thanks to fellow Lesley-ite Mary Hutchins Harris for bringing this article to my attention. I hope you’ll find it as interesting as I did.
http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/for-kids-pens-mightier-than-keyboard/#more-4909