The Unexpected Resurgence & Surprising Benefits of Cursive Writing
It's the age of AI - but ironically, it's ChatGPT and Bard that are bringing back the art of handwriting
07.25.2023
Issue 24:
”You cannot raise your children the way your parents raised you.
Because your parents raised you for a world that no longer exists.”
And it’s a world that’s being re-configured even faster.
Spotted on Instagram.
-RS
TTL: "In the Age of AI: The Resurgence of Cursive Writing and Its Surprising Benefits.
Take The LongRange (TTL) is our regular look at innovative ideas on parenting, careers, learning, and life that can help better prepare kids for our world of rapid change.
In the age of AI, digital communications, and voice-activated dictation, the general consensus was that cursive writing (that elegant and fluid style of writing that was once an essential part of education) was now outdated and irrelevant. “Cursive writing seemed to go the way of quills and parchment,” The New York Times declared. Another oped similarly asked, “What’s the Point Of teaching Cursive.”
And yet, AI - via ChatGPT and Bard, has unintentionally ushered in a return to the traditional art of cursive writing. In classrooms around the country, essays and papers that were previously taken-home projects are now being adapted to be done in the classroom, under supervision, and on paper. The transition has been a struggle, with most kids struggling to write legibly and efficiently since they, like many teachers, had never properly learned this skill.
In Canada, the province of Ontario announced the reintroduction of cursive to the province's curriculum. These changes were motivated by evidence that emphasized the power of foundational skills. That’s the overlooked component of cursive writing: it’s incredibly impactful. Hetty Roessingh, a professor emeritus of language and literacy at the University of Calgary, sees big benefits on the horizon for students who are taught cursive writing.
"There's no replacement for engaging the hand brain complex," Roessingh said, referring to the neural pathways created when people write by hand. It's an undervalued skill because people don't understand its contributions to cognition, "People who write fluently and take notes, for example, for an exam, tend to do better than those who just type their notes," she said. "When you're typing your notes, you're just transcribing. If you're handwriting your notes, you're generating text, and there's a processing advantage to that."
The continuous flow of writing in cursive encourages improved focus and concentration, which can be especially beneficial in an era of constant digital distractions.
The resurgence of cursive writing in the age of AI is a poignant example of how planning for the future is so challenging - unforeseen or unplanned consequences are everywhere. As we navigate the ever-changing landscape of the future and prepare the next generation for a technology-driven world, the unexpected revival of cursive writing highlights that, despite rapid advancements, preserving tradition can have unexpected benefits that enhance our cognitive, emotional, and creative capacities.
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