If you’re looking for a last-ditch strategy to save your kids from a silly predicament, here’s a silver lining. A study published this week in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found that good cursive handwriting appears to promote learning better than typing, and if we want smarter kids to get out of the classroom, we should probably shove pencils and pens into them in hand.
This research was first conducted by Register, measured the brains of 36 students while they wrote words by hand and typed on a keyboard. When students write by hand, the patterns of electrical connections in areas of the brain that are critical for forming memories and encoding new information are much more complex. In short – if you haven’t held a pen in a while – handwriting seems better for learning.
“Because increased brain connectivity was only observed when writing by hand and not when simply pressing keys on a keyboard, our findings may serve as evidence that handwriting promotes learning,” the researchers said. wrote in the study. “We urge children to be exposed to handwriting activities in school from an early age to build neuronal connection patterns and provide the brain with optimal learning conditions.”
That’s good news for students in California, where a new law will force a return to torture. Compulsory cursive writing course for children Starting this year, grades one to six will be included. Calligraphy is a dying art, but according to this study, it’s the process of moving slender fingers across paper to write in cursive that boosts brain development.
“Interestingly, increased connectivity between different brain regions appears to be related to specific sensorimotor processes common in handwriting,” the study reads.
Scientists attached a bunch of sensors to the students’ heads and measured their brain’s electrical activity over 30 trials. Words were presented randomly, and participants were told to either use a special pen to write the word in cursive on a digital screen or to type it in using the index finger of their right hand. To limit the effects of head and eye movements, these words will not appear on the screen while typing. The results were conclusive: When students wielded their pens, the patterns of brain connections were more complex.
Like many psychology studies, this study looked at college students rather than children, but scientists say their findings have significant implications for younger children, mute or otherwise.
Before all the keyboard warriors rush in to comment in defense of our beloved phones and computers, the researchers are careful to point out that it’s still important to keep kids informed about the latest technology.
“While it is crucial to maintain writing practice in school, it is also important to keep up with ever-evolving technological advances,” the researchers said. “Therefore, both teachers and students should understand which practices have the best learning outcomes under what circumstances. , such as when taking class notes or when writing a paper.”
