Michel: Cursive writing spells out increased brain activity

Published 11:45 pm Friday, October 24, 2014

I said that I would never interfere with my grandchildren’s education. At the time, I meant it. Now I take it back.

Of all the topics I could have selected to break my ban on voicing my opinion (schools, core curriculum, age to begin formal education, etc.), I have chosen one that might otherwise have gone unnoticed: cursive writing.

I didn’t realize that some curriculums were eliminating cursive writing. As a teacher, I taught cursive to first graders. The smooth, slanted strokes seemed easier than the balls and straight sticks used in manuscript.

Today, the teaching of both print and script writing is taking a backseat to the use of computer keyboards. Now before being labeled an educational dinosaur, please let me defend myself by saying that I endorse the use of computers in the classroom, but do not believe they should completely replace handwriting.

Fortunately I found proof to back my opinion.

I’ll begin with the 2012 study of pre-literate 5-year-olds by psychologist Karin James at Indiana University. Children were asked to trace a letter with a dotted outline, type it on a computer or draw it. Children who drew the letter freehand showed increased activity in three areas of the brain, areas activated in adults when they read and write.

The other two groups in the study showed no such effect.

“When we write, a unique neural circuit is automatically activated… Learning is made easier,” said Stanislas Dehaene, psychologist, College de France, Paris.

Dehaene’s results are supported by the work of two other psychologists, Pam A. Mueller, Princeton and Daniel M. Oppenheimer, University of California, Los Angeles. Their research indicates that when taking notes by hand, students typically process, reflect and reframe the content, which leads to better understanding and memory encoding.

Elementary students in Professor Virginia Berninger’s study (University of Washington) expressed more words and ideas in a shorter amount of time when they wrote by hand rather than keyboard.

Additionally, Berninger’s study made a case for the use of both print and cursive, citing the fact that they activate different brain networks.

Unique to cursive writing is the demand for fine motor control, attention needed to connect letters and the skill required to recognize letters that bear the personal style of the writer.

So do we really have to choose whether we will use a keyboard, print or write in cursive? I hope not, for I plan to continue to use all three methods and I’m determined to ensure that my grandchildren do the same.

So far, both of them (ages 1 and 2) successfully use iPads to watch their favorite cartoons and take pictures. Writing shouldn’t be far behind.

Besides, they need to learn to write in cursive. How else will they read my journals?

Ronny Michel may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.