Curse cursive and give me my keyboard
Like many schools nationwide, a district in Spokane is altering its curriculum, in order to help students meet Common Core State Standards. More math fundamentals and nonfiction texts make sense, at least in terms of the district’s goal.
Increasing practice in cursive writing, though, is perplexing, bordering on downright odd.
The district’s superintendent, citing unknown research, claims that cursive writing increases memory retention, brain development and fine motor skills. As my mouth was forming the word, “poppycock,” I decided to test this research.
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| via: my iPhone |
I grabbed a blank sheet of paper and pen and began writing in cursive — something I don’t ever do, unless signing my name. As I wrote, I considered the research. Were my motor skills improving? Look at the picture above, and you’ll see that they didn’t. My brain wasn’t developing, at least not that I could feel.
Was my memory improving? If so, I forgot how much.
The idea that a school district would increase practice in the archaic skill of cursive reinforces one of my long held beliefs: some research really needs to be ignored.
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About The Author
markbarnes19
Mark Barnes is the Founder of Times 10 Publications, which produces the popular Hack Learning Series -- books and other series that provide right-now solutions for teachers and learners. Mark is the author or publisher of dozens of books, including Bestseller Hacking Education: 10 Quick Fixes for Every School. Barnes presents internationally on assessment, connected education, and Hack Learning. Join more than 150,000 interested educators who follow @markbarnes19 on Twitter.