Handwriting- Communicating in Mathematics

As a middle school math teacher, I have noticed in the past ten or so years that there are more and more middle school students telling me that they can't read cursive. Is cursive handwriting a dying art? I know that in this era, keyboarding is an essential skill and must be taught, but to not teach cursive at all, is really, really going too far. In my opinion, both skills are needed. I know personally, that I can take notes much faster with a computer, but I happen to have fast keyboarding skills. Hmmmmmm.......... I wonder if I developed the fast keyboarding from  developing hand and eye coordination from practicing cursive handwriting skills.... or maybe it was also from taking piano lessons as a child. I do know that the ONLY keyboarding class that I ever took part in was one semester, twice a week during my 8th grade year, on an old Underwood typewriter.  I learned where the home keys are and then I took it from there. Maybe it's because I practiced.

I am a math teacher, but I do have my students writing and  participating math journaling quite often. I integrate technology on a regular basis so I have seen the type of work that I get when some students are hand writing versus type writing their work. Some of them are quite adept at "copy and paste."

My first thought on the matter of handwriting versus keyboarding school work, is that one of the most important reasons for teaching keyboarding is to improve students’ writing skills. I know that keyboarding allows me to compose at the keyboard as I enter my thoughts onto the virtual sheet of paper which is my computer screen. I have always loved to write but I know that word processing has changed the way that I think when I write. It enables me to be more expressive and to get more down on "paper." For students I have noticed that keyboarding instead of writing allows them to spend more precious computer time worrying about the content of their writing rather than the formation of letters on paper. They are more likely to revise their writing because on the computer revision can now be a fluid part of their writing rather than the more laborious process of   revising and then rewriting by hand. I simply have not met any middle school students who care to rewrite a paper than they have written. They want to move on to other things.

The second thought that comes to mind on the issue of  handwriting versus typing, is note taking. I require my middle school students to take notes. They create and use an "interactive math notebook." Personally, I have found that I retain more when I hand write and make drawings and connections in my notes, than I do by typing notes on a keyboard. Instinctively, I have always felt that my students retain more when they hand write their math notes and vocabulary definitions than when they type them. (Maybe they are copying and pasting.) 

Both thoughts have made me wonder what the research says, because I want to be able to explain to a student who doesn't want to hand-write math notes and asks, "Can I type my notes?" I want that student to understand why keeping the interactive math notebook is so important. I also want to be able to send their parents to links on the web, that back up my reasons for having my students continue to take handwritten notes in the digital age, when they want to type them. I've always explained to my students and parents that through the years, I've seen that the students who keep a really great notebook for my class, do much better on the homework, classwork, quizzes, and tests. These same students end up with better standardized test scores and better MAP scores. Plus, the research backs up what my gut feelings have always been about why handwriting shouldn't be left out of the curriculum. Believe me, I'm a "techie teacher."Other teachers come me for help with technology. I've taught technology classes to other teachers.  I LOVE technology. But, I know that handwriting, on paper, still has it's place in the classroom. I've done the research and compiled what I found into six solid reasons for teaching handwriting, including cursive writing in school.

1.  Learning Comprehension is Increased:  Using a laptop, Chromebook, or tablet may be faster than hand writing, but research has proven that those who take notes by hand really do remember more information than those who use technology to take notes. The study, The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard found that students who took their notes by hand truly had a greater understanding of the lesson, even though those using a laptop were able to type out more information because it's faster to type than to write. 

2. Creativity is Increased: It's hard to measure such an abstract concept as creativity but  this study, Handwriting and the Brain, found that fluid arm movements increased creativity (described as a "fluid thought"). It appears that the fluid movements of handwriting could certainly have a similar effect on the brain.

3. Increases Focus: As adults and educators we all know that typing and using a computer or tablet means that we are just millimeters away from the vastly entertaining Internet. Students, especially middle school students, are easily distracted by that nearby, immense land of entertainment, the Internet. Writing by hand will help keep students focused. In a 2012 study, from the journal, Child Development, the researcher says that "handwriting supports executive function by engaging a child's attention and developing her ability to focus." 

4. Stimulates the Brain: Writing by hand, especially cursive writing, actually taps into both sides of our brain, because of its loopy, artistic nature. How we use both sides of our brains is different for each individual, but  in stimulating either side or both sides with hand writing is  beneficial for  artistic and for problem-solving abilities.

5. Leads to Stronger Academic Performance: Research has found that there is a positive correlation between handwriting skills and increased academic performance in reading and writing, which are essential skills for all subject matter.  A research project discussed in the article Handwriting in Early Childhood Education: Current Research and Future Implications, found that pre-K students who had developed good fine motor skills, from handwriting instruction and practice, outperformed their peers in both reading and math by the time they were in the second grade. 

6.  Value Goes Beyond Elementary School: Dr. Carol Christensen, a cognitive psychologist has studied the impact of handwriting and she says that fluency in handwriting is strongly related to the "quality and quantity of students' complete written text as late as grade 8." (Handwriting in the Middle Years: A Strategy for Academic and Professional Success) 

Obviously, handwriting and keyboarding are both important skills to know, so I want my students to come to me knowing how to  write both by hand and use a keyboard. Handwriting is still necessary for day-to-day activities and will never go out of style, and in today’s world, we must be efficient keyboarders in order to interact and communicate with others through technology. 

In a perfect world, educators must continue to teach both skills. Some students will be better at one than the other. Other students will be skilled at both. What we need to do though is to convince students that there is a place for hand writing things out in class and for using keyboarding. 

But, in reality, it's a fact that both are needed and that both skills have their place. Learning how to read and write in cursive is all based on the willingness to learn and practice the skills.  It's time to bring back an emphasis on teaching and using cursive handwriting in our schools. It's an important skill that will allow learners to interact and communicate with others without using technology. What's old is new again. 

Visit 

The Middle School Math Teacher

on Teachers Pay Teachers 

Communicating Mathematically
in the Middle School Classroom!