Schools to teach keyboarding instead of handwriting

[Gena]

A school district in the Indianapolis area has announced that instead of teaching third graders cursive writing, it will focus on teaching them keyboarding. Students will still learn how to read cursive and how to write their own names, but that's all.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990829036

DH and I both think that this is a terrible idea and hope it doesn't spread to other schools.

What do other people think? Is cursive writing really obsolete?

[o_mom]

Just my $0.02... cursive really doesn't serve much purpose. It isn't any faster than printing and most people never use it beyond elementary school. If you ever fill out forms, you see the first thing they ask is "please print" because cursive is harder to read and gets messy when done quickly. Also traditional cursive has huge differences between print and cursive, so they have to learn to write again almost from scratch. I know at least one homeschool family that is teaching an italic print (http://www.cep.pdx.edu/samples/compare.pdf) because of these reasons.

ETA: In spite of many years of cursive writing, I couldn't make a cursive 'Q' unless I looked it up... just not retained at all since I can't even remember the last time I wrote in cursive other than my signature.

[Gena]

Just my $0.02... cursive really doesn't serve much purpose. It isn't any faster than printing and most people never use it beyond elementary school. If you ever fill out forms, you see the first thing they ask is "please print" because cursive is harder to read and gets messy when done quickly....


I respectfully disagree. I always write in cursive and can do so much, much faster than I print (or type for that matter). For me, printing is slow and tedious, while cursive writing is fluid and quick. I write grocery lists, notes to teachers/therapists, to do lists, meetings notes, Christmas cards, etc., all in cursive writing. The only things I print are forms (as you mentioned) and notes for DS. Although I recently discovered that DS can read my handwriting without a problem, so that may change.

Most of the adults I know personally use cursive writing rather than printing. The only exception is DH, who writes everything in draftsman's printing (very small, all uppercase, and with angular forms) due to his professional training.

Personally I hate the idea that schools might no longer teach curvise writing. I think it's a valuable skill.

[kristac]

I don't see why it must be either/or ?? Why not teach both?

[Cam&Clay]

I taught 3rd grade in Fairfax County for 10 years, up until last year. About three years ago, our principal decided she wasn't spending any money on cursive handwriting books anymore because keyboarding was more important. We threw a fit and taught cursive anyway. Since then, more and more schools are eliminating cursive. It's not a new idea around here.

I agree that kids need keyboarding skills, but I don't see why they can't learn cursive, too. My own handwriting is a mix of print and cursive.

[trales]

If we fail to teach cursive, how will we be able to read old documents. I had to do a title search on our property and many of the original titles and deeds were in cursive. They were hard to read, but they still needed to be read.

Is it going to become learning another language to read cursive, we will have to hire translators to read our deeds and old documents.

I think cursive is important and should be taught along with keyboarding and print.

[maestramommy]

If we fail to teach cursive, how will we be able to read old documents. I had to do a title search on our property and many of the original titles and deeds were in cursive. They were hard to read, but they still needed to be read.

Is it going to become learning another language to read cursive, we will have to hire translators to read our deeds and old documents.

I think cursive is important and should be taught along with keyboarding and print.

FWIW, the OP said that children will still learn to read cursive, just not write. But I agree with all pp that it is a valuable skill that should be taught.

[StantonHyde]

My handwriting stinks and has always been bad--same with DH only his is wayyyy worse now that he has been an MD for 13 years. I hated handwriting because I ALWAYS got in trouble!!! I would have been thrilled to key board.

I agree that it still needs to be taught, but not such a premium placed on it, IMO. (the only things I handwrite are thankyou notes and notes to myself)

[o_mom]

I respectfully disagree. I always write in cursive and can do so much, much faster than I print (or type for that matter). For me, printing is slow and tedious, while cursive writing is fluid and quick. I write grocery lists, notes to teachers/therapists, to do lists, meetings notes, Christmas cards, etc., all in cursive writing. The only things I print are forms (as you mentioned) and notes for DS. Although I recently discovered that DS can read my handwriting without a problem, so that may change.

Most of the adults I know personally use cursive writing rather than printing. The only exception is DH, who writes everything in draftsman's printing (very small, all uppercase, and with angular forms) due to his professional training.

Personally I hate the idea that schools might no longer teach curvise writing. I think it's a valuable skill.

For some people it is faster, but not I don't see why that should mean that everyone needs to learn it. I take way longer to write cursive (hence never using it) and it quickly become illegible if I write more than a sentence or two. Many people I know never use it either.

I recently went back through a bunch of notes I took in college to recycle the notebooks. Most of them started out in cursive for the first few pages, which corresponded to the beginning of semester reviews and a page or so of notes per class. After that it switched to print as I needed to be able to write more quickly to take down 4-6 pages of notes in the same time period.

If you want your child to learn to write cursive, then teach them. I just don't see it as valuable - more on the level of learning calligraphy. I think of all the hours I wasted in elementary and middle school learning to write the alphabet all over again as well as the extra time to write everything out in cursive vs. print and think it could have been spent better elsewhere. ETA: I can see where if you use it all the time it would be valuble for you. I just have not found it valuble to me or something that I see being a "must learn" skill for functioning or succeding in life.

[infocrazy]

If you want your child to learn to write cursive, then teach them. I just don't see it as valuable - more on the level of learning calligraphy. I think of all the hours I wasted in elementary and middle school learning to write the alphabet all over again as well as the extra time to write everything out in cursive vs. print and think it could have been spent better elsewhere.

:yeahthat: I have no idea the last time I wrote in cursive...I have never seen DH write in cursive. I only sign in cursive, and that is barely legible. I have great regular handwriting...but for me that is printing.

Really, by the time my kids are old enough to be taking notes in college or even HS, I wonder if they will still be writing on paper or on a laptop, that is if laptops aren't obselete at that point!

[wellyes]

Most children in the world do not have access to computers. But in the US kids are going to be taught that handwriting is an outdated art - a curiosity. Something you respectfully learn to decipher without being able to do yourself. What an odd moment in time we live in.

How will kids write in their secret journals? Printing is slow: designed for legibility, not speed or comfort. Count me as old school but I think it's a shame that there will be so many kids who don't know how to jot down their own ideas unless there is a screen in front of them.

[fivi2]

ITA with pp, cursive is about as practical as calligraphy in my life. I rarely use it, even when taking tons of notes in college, grad school, and law school.

It doesn't sound like all forms of handwriting will be done away with - kids can still write down whatever they want.

I also think that all the people who currently write faster in cursive would be equally fast in printing if they had been drilled on printing and forced to write it instead of cursive throughout their schooling. I guess I don;t see one as being inherently faster - just a question of which you do more. But maybe that is because printing is faster for me :)

[jent]

I don't see why it must be either/or ?? Why not teach both?

:yeahthat:
We learned both (it was called "typing" way back when). Typing wasn't taught until 7th grade (and we had those old school typewriters) but we still spent a semester on it.

I think it makes sense to teach typing/keyboarding early, since (I assume) kids are using computers much younger these days; otherwise the kids will be forming bad hunt-and-peck typing habits early on and have to unlearn that in order to type well.

FWIW, DH & I both prefer printing. I want to say that most adults I know print, but actually I'm not really sure. I can think of examples of both. I correspond with most of my friends by email anyway. I would say that I'd keep an eye out during Christmas season, but between the photo cards and the typed family newsletters, I don't think I'll get many examples...

[KrisM]

The only people I know that regularly use cursive are my grandparents and my mom. I always print. It's just so much faster, I think. I don't print the way the teach in school, but way with fewer pencil lifts and retracing the lines. I don't know what it's called, but a B or b doesn't go over the line and doesn't lift the pencil.

I think keyboarding is great to learn. I took typing (on a manual typewriter) in high school and it was the best class I took, I think.

[Elilly]

Being in the Indy area and having a child on the spectrum, I'm all for it. Fine motor skills are an issue for us and if I can eliminate one more difficult thing for my son, then I'm all for it! That said, Brownsburg is about 30 minutes from here so I'm doubting that this will affect me, at least for now.

[infomama]

I suppose I would respond by saying that if the schools wont teach this skill to my Dd's...I will.

[Gena]

If you want your child to learn to write cursive, then teach them.

I would love to teach my child cursive writing. I really hope that he is able to learn it. Unfortunately with the level of his dyspraxia (motor plannig disorder) I don't know if he will ever master printing, let alone cursive. Even after 3 years of OT his grasping/grip skills recently tested at less than 1%ile, (age equivalent of a 14 month old). His overall fine motor skills tested at 3%ile.

I've already had OTs tell me that DS might never have legible printing and may need a special keyboard device to do written tasks. In school (kindergarten) he works on both writing and keyboarding skills. He types pretty well for a 5 year old (he's a 2 finger typist, but he can type full sentences). His therapy includes a lot of activities to strengthen his core, hand strength, finger dexterity, grip, etc., all in hopes of improving his writing skills.

It's especially hard because DS wants so much to be able to write. He is always bringing me pens and note cards to help him write statements, lists, and directions. He really struggles just to write his name and even then it's hard to make out all of the letters. He continues to make progress, but we don't know if his skill will ever come close to his same-age peers.

I know that if a special keyboard device is what DS needs we will make sure he gets it. But as a parent, I really do not want my child to be dependent on assistive technology, not even for a skill as unnecessary as writing. I guess that's why this issue strikes a particular chord for me. My child may not be able to learn cursive because of his physical and developmental limitiations. But I do not understand why parents of children who are capable of learning the skill would not want them to at least have some basic experience in it.

I do think that all school kids in our society should learn keyboarding skills. I just don't think it should take the place of writing. You are right that cursive writing is not necessary to function or be successful in life. For that matter neither are art and music. But most people still believe that all children benefit from getting basic instruction in those areas and there are protests when school districts drop these classes. I guess I feel the same way about cursive.

[o_mom]

I would love to teach my child cursive writing. I really hope that he is able to learn it. Unfortunately with the level of his dyspraxia (motor plannig disorder) I don't know if he will ever master printing, let alone cursive. ...

...I know that if a special keyboard device is what DS needs we will make sure he gets it. But as a parent, I really do not want my child to be dependent on assistive technology, not even for a skill as unnecessary as writing. I guess that's why this issue strikes a particular chord for me. My child may not be able to learn cursive because of his physical and developmental limitiations. But I do not understand why parents of children who are capable of learning the skill would not want them to at least have some basic experience in it.

I do think that all school kids in our society should learn keyboarding skills. I just don't think it should take the place of writing. You are right that cursive writing is not necessary to function or be successful in life. For that matter neither are art and music. But most people still believe that all children benefit from getting basic instruction in those areas and there are protests when school districts drop these classes. I guess I feel the same way about cursive.


:hug:

I don't at all think that writing should be dropped. I really do think that everyone should be able to write (cursive or print) if possible. I just don't see the application of cursive in the form that is normally taught in schools as adding much, especially given the time it takes to master it. I have not heard of any studies that show benefits to learning cursive beyond being able to write in cursive. Maybe they are out there - I'm open to hearing that. :) OTOH, I have seen many studies showing the benefits of art and music to overall literacy and learning, so they would be higher on the priority list for me.

I do really like the concept of the Getty-Dubay Italic print and cursive that I linked to earlier. It doesn't require learning an entirely new alphabet to write in cursive. If I were homeschooling, it would be high on my list. Right now our district still teaches it, AFAIK, so we will be learning it in a few years.

[lilycat88]

I live in the same county as this school system. This is one of three suburbs (there are other smaller towns) of Indianapolis located in the county and one of 6 districts. The towns are pretty competitive and do a fair amount of "keeping up with the Joneses" even though they are all highly rated school systems. We live in the 3rd largest district in the county (Brownsburg is 1st or 2nd) and probably the most insular of the towns. I'll be interested to see what happens in the upcoming years. Quite frankly, I'm a little surprised that this school system made that decision. I'm not exactly sure why but I am. I'm in the "both" camp. I use a hybrid print/cursive handwriting most of the time but I love the fact that I can write in a pretty darn good script when I want to. I love the fact that my handwriting is strikingly similar to the other women on my mom's side of the family as shown in letters dating back to the turn of the century. If the schools aren't teaching cursive writing, I will teach it to DD or I will find a qualified instructor who will.

[strollerqueen]

They don't teach cursive in the public schools here. They say it is outdated, outmoded, obsolete. Then my DD transferred to Catholic school, and *every* *single* assignment has to be written in cursive. Even note-taking, everything. Not knowing it before has put her at a distinct disadvantage, and slowed her down considerably.

[kijip]

Is this new? I am 29 years old and many, many, many of my same age peers who have fantastic primary, secondary and college educations do not know cursive or do not use cursive. I will teach T cursive if the schools don't but I can see why schools HAVE been and will continue to discontinue cursive...with education dollars tight, priorities have to be made. Typing and print, in our culture naturally are the more relevant skill.

I learned cursive. I can use it when needed. But come to think of it I never used it in school after the 4th grade when it was taught. In 5th and 6th grades nearly all my work was turned in printed or on a computer. Once I hit 9th grade, all writing assignments were done, past the outlining step, on the computer.

As for reading it, T can read cursive just fine, just took a few times of answering "what is this letter supposed to be?".

[elephantmeg]

honestly I haven't written in cursive since elementery school. I always print. It's more legible. Although I guess I do sign my name in cursive so maybe kids need to know at least that. I wonder if that will become obsolete too????

[JTsMom]

I agree that it still needs to be taught, but not such a premium placed on it, IMO. (the only things I handwrite are thankyou notes and notes to myself):yeahthat: Handwriting was a real challenge for me, but I use it (hybrid writer here too) every day. I can't imagine not learning it at all! I'm really surprised some of you never use it. I find it to be a much faster way to write. I do agree that keyboarding is even more important, but to me, that's something relatively quick and easy to learn.

[niccig]

I learned in elementary school, and once in grade 7 at high school, the teachers didn't care how you wrote. I eagerly swapped to printing - for me it is faster. It's what you know and use all the time that makes it fast.

[elektra]

Seriously, who makes their Q's like 2's in real life? Maybe it's because I'm a lefty with subpar handwriting, but I think it would be just fine to skip cursive. As many PP's have said, not many people continue to write in cursive past grade school.
Ok, I am laughing out loud now! My parents just dropped off a bunch of old papers from high school and after reading this thread I wanted to take a look to see how I wrote the drafts. (They are all in printing, BTW) In one of the self-evalutations there is a question that asks, "What things about this essay really please you?" My answer? "Nothing really pleases me except it looks good typed." :ROTFLMAO:
The paper was an evaluation of The Epilady. Hello 80's!

[brittone2]

I use a hybrid of cursive and print I guess. It certainly isn't the style or approach I was taught in school.

I think it is beneficial to be able to write quickly for notetaking, etc. Some people can achieve that via printing but others find it easier to write quickly using cursive. I think legibility and speed are key, but as long as my kid has those, I guess I'm okay with whatever approach my DC takes (we homeschool). If my DC's writing isn't working out, we'd reconsider other options to increase speed and or legibility as needed.

[codex57]

I think cursive is very important. I hybrid write too, but wouldn't be able to if I never learned cursive. No, I don't use cursive, but I still use the lessons taught and applied it to my own needs.

Learning how to keyboard is important too, but I don't think they should spend much time on it. A month tops. Just learn the QWERTY system. They can practice on their own. That's sorta like having a class on free time. You want them to start off right, but it's not exactly something they're gonna avoid voluntarily later in life. No need for a ton of homework cuz as long as you teach them the basics, they'll practice on their own without you asking them to soon enough.

[kijip]

Learning how to keyboard is important too, but I don't think they should spend much time on it. A month tops. Just learn the QWERTY system. They can practice on their own. That's sorta like having a class on free time. You want them to start off right, but it's not exactly something they're gonna avoid voluntarily later in life. No need for a ton of homework cuz as long as you teach them the basics, they'll practice on their own without you asking them to soon enough.

Younger kids generally need practice to learn to type. And in many districts the only time many kids have access to a computer is at school or at a library (and who is to say they get to go to the library often). I can totally see a need for practice time for keyboard because of the equipment needs. On that note, it is easier to send cursive practice books home with children.

[Ceepa]

I see value in both lessons (keyboard and cursive). Are we really at a point that there's no time during formal schooling for both? (that's rhetorical)

[kijip]

I see value in both lessons (keyboard and cursive). Are we really at a point that there's no time during formal schooling for both? (that's rhetorical)

I think it is a really interesting question.

With many schools opting to or considering cutting everything from electives/arts to recess and shortening pass time (to get to class) and lunch etc obviously in many places there is a very high premium on time to teach. Some would say it is part of the testing push, others would say part of the budget crisis many schools face (more students, fewer teachers, something's gotta give). It's about allocating resources and there are any number of different formulas to do that. Ideally schools would be able to teach cursive, typing, have recesses, teach art and music and everyone would achieve a lot and get good test scores. Clearly we are not at that ideal so schools feel pressure to make choices.

[egoldber]

Count me as another one who stopped using cursive the day I stopped needing to use it for school. Maybe 8th grade? I've printed everything since.

I think being left handed may have colored my opinion because my cursive always had a severe left handed slant and I was always very self conscious of it. My cursive was never faster than my printing, so I always preferred printing.

Sarah is learning cursive this year in third grade. Honestly I am conflicted about it because I do think their time is better spent elsewhere. But I have never felt the cursive love and always wished I had been taught keyboarding instead. I taught myself to type in college and learned a hunt and peck method that I am now VERY fast at, but will never be as fast as someone who truly touch types. I think not being able to touch type is more of a liability to me professionally and personally than having poor handwriting.

[codex57]

Younger kids generally need practice to learn to type. And in many districts the only time many kids have access to a computer is at school or at a library (and who is to say they get to go to the library often). I can totally see a need for practice time for keyboard because of the equipment needs. On that note, it is easier to send cursive practice books home with children.

I totally see your point. It's just that I think it's still ok to get what practice you can during jr. high and high school. Heck, even in college should the kid be able to go.

With the abundance of cell phones, particularly text messagign ones with full QWERTY keyboards, I see a lot of opportunity for kids to practice during their mandatory school years. With all the cell phones and netbooks out there, it's more that they memorize the basic order of the QWERTY key pattern than to achieve a high typing rate on a standard sized keyboard.

I dunno, I just don't see a problem with teaching cursive one grade and then teaching typing in another. If you need to split the time btw the two, one year should be enough to teach typing.

[wellyes]

Everyone in my corporate office manages to type emails all day long and I imagine most of them (age 20-60) never had a keyboarding class.

[kijip]

Everyone in my corporate office manages to type emails all day long and I imagine most of them (age 20-60) never had a keyboarding class.

About people 20-60 not having keyboarding, typing was a pretty common class and required in some cases in middle school and high school. My 67 year old father had to learn to type in high school. He graduated in 1960. To me I guess it seems like we did used to generally do both in school, just at different ages and the typing often replaced the cursive as the student got older.

[kijip]

I totally see your point. It's just that I think it's still ok to get what practice you can during jr. high and high school. Heck, even in college should the kid be able to go.

I dunno, I just don't see a problem with teaching cursive one grade and then teaching typing in another. If you need to split the time btw the two, one year should be enough to teach typing.

I see your point and on reflection think that is how it has been done.

I am not sure though that adults universally benefit from knowing cursive, but the same argument could be made that not all adults need to know how to type well either.

[egoldber]

Everyone in my corporate office manages to type emails all day long and I imagine most of them (age 20-60) never had a keyboarding class.

I fall right in the middle of that range. ;) If my typing were only limited to e-mails, it might be the case that knowing how to touch type would not be a liability. But professionally I also need to type long documents and spend a fair amount of time writing software code. So while I lament not having the speed of the touch typist, I can honestly say *I* have never needed to know cursive for a professional reason. I understand that may not be the case for everyone.

[Puddy73]

ITA with pp, cursive is about as practical as calligraphy in my life. I rarely use it, even when taking tons of notes in college, grad school, and law school.


Ditto. Other than my signature, I don't think that I have written in cursive since elementary school. I do see the value in devoting some time to learning to read cursive and to write your signature, but I think that keyboarding is a more useful skill and should be given more time.

[lilycat88]

My mom was a typing teacher...and a shorthand teacher. She was teaching a "keyboarding" class to middle school kids when she retired 2 years ago.