Why has the simple act of writing become such a chore for students these days? “Ugh, not writing, I hate writing, it sucks!”, or words to that effect. According to recent research one in three students struggle with handwriting. If this is true it has serious implications for their educational achievement.
The truth is all generations are now affected by our increasing reliance on computers, tablets and smartphones. We don’t need to write, so we don’t. It’s that simple. Even the humble credit card has abandoned writing, with signatures now banned and pin codes or ‘paywave’ the new security preferences.
But, like any learned skill, if writing isn’t practised, the speed slows and the quality drops. The impact of this is bad enough on the over 35s, who spent their pre-technology school days working with paper and pen, but for the younger generation, it’s as if this once-essential skill had never existed.
This is hardly surprising as most of today’s students have grown up in a world of tapping and swiping. Cursive writing is such a bore when you can stroke a screen and get the same results.
There is also a generation of young teachers entering the profession who have a natural preference for technology.
The circle is closing. iPads and laptops have replaced textbooks, homework is online and handwritten work is viewed as inefficient and time consuming.
Is writing a dying art? Is it doomed to tread the same path as Latin and become a quaint antiquity practised by few? I hope not, because writing is more than just communication. Writing is a slower, more thoughtful process than typing. It involves planning, attention to detail and commitment to task. It is a complex skill that affects cognitive development and exercises visual, motor and memory circuits.
Studies have shown handwriting engages parts of the brain which typing doesn’t. When we write we develop our hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Is writing a dying art? Is it doomed to tread the same path as Latin and become a quaint antiquity practised by few?
The ability to write and the quality of text are inextricably linked; there is growing evidence that those who write faster and more legibly get better grades.
This leaves you, as parents, with a tough task. Most of your kids are fighting against writing. Oh, there are still a few for whom writing is a natural part of the learning process, but for most it is an ‘old’ skill that doesn’t seem to fit in to their high-tech world. And yet, in the real, working world, writing is still very much in evidence.
Meeting notes, supply lists, a quick reminder to a colleague, even the famed ‘napkin’ planning session, all come alive through writing. Even now there is no substitute for pen or pencil on paper, it’s a quick and effective low-tech way of communicating.
Which makes it all the more important for you to encourage your kids to write at every opportunity. In our tutoring centre we use different approaches to encourage writing. For instance, we allow students to illustrate their writing, so drawing becomes the reward for writing. We also choose engaging topics, like Minecraft, sports, film and music; kids who never write are suddenly producing pages of text!
The next time your kids want something, for instance a ticket to a movie they want to see, ask them to put the request in writing. Encourage them to explain in words why they need or deserve to have their prize. If it isn’t convincing enough, work with them to edit their writing so it achieves its objective.
A bit of coaxing and extra work now will pay dividends later on, when your kids are able to achieve at university or the workplace, because writing is a practised skill that enables them to communicate more effectively.
