In the present era of ubiquitous digital devices and computers – even in the classroom, no less! – advocating for children’s handwriting is to engage in controversy. You might be following the articles by Lucy Carroll, the Education Editor in the Sydney Morning Herald, about schools swapping their students smart phone with Nokias, overhauling their bring-your-own-device policies, and lap-top free lessons.
‘Yes, yes, I’m sure devices can be a distraction – but is there evidence for the positive benefits of handwriting?’ I hear you say.
Glad you asked!
For those of us who see the positive impact of handwriting on other areas of learning, the 2012 Handwriting Educational Summit in Washington, D.C. was pretty exciting stuff. For the first time, we were presented with clear links between children learning to write by hand and the development of brain structures connected with visual and language skills. It was the beginnings of a neurological explanation for what clinicians had noted of the correlation between foundation skills in reading, writing, memory and critical thinking. It was more than children feeling happy with themselves when they mastered this ancient skill (although that is nothing to be scoffed at).
Dr Karin Harman presented functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) which showed a clear link between learning to write by hand and brain activity that leads to the development of neural processing in the visual and language systems of young children. This is not the case for learning letters visually or learning to write with a keyboard.
Dr Tanya Santangelo presented a meta-analysis of studies of the effectiveness of handwriting interventions. The results support individualised instruction for those children struggling to learn handwriting. Such instruction has been found to not only improve motivation and legibility but to also have an effect on the quality and volume of work.
Dr Jane Case-Smith showed the importance of a collaborative approach between occupational therapists and teachers, and specific intervention using visual-motor-verbal cues to support the development of correct movement sequences, as well as self-direction and self-evaluation for students experiencing difficulty with handwriting. This type of intervention was found to have a significant impact not only on the legibility of students’ handwriting but also on their ability to generate and organise ideas, stay on task and complete schoolwork.
Since then, the evidence that handwriting is better for learning and memory continues to accumulate.
The scientific armament for those of us who advocate for the role of handwriting in children’s learning and development is now quite large.