Main Area and Open Discussion > Living Room
The end of the line for cursive writing
Carol Haynes:
It reminds me of a UK education minister back in the 80s saying we don't need to teach kids to do sums any more as they all have calculators. He had a point but where is the understanding and ability to estimate. Working on the principle that kids don't have to use cursive writing is really limiting them when they have to write exam papers as cursive is designed to be much quicker and less stressful on tendons.
Watch out RSI and CTS ?
Renegade:
It reminds me of a UK education minister back in the 80s saying we don't need to teach kids to do sums any more as they all have calculators. He had a point but where is the understanding and ability to estimate.
-Carol Haynes (May 15, 2011, 06:25 PM)
--- End quote ---
I distantly remember something like that. But it entirely misses the point -- that being that the ability to do math is a general logic and thinking skill. The skill in itself leads to others. Like a gateway drug. :)
skwire:
My oldest daughter (age 11) can read and write very well in cursive. As for our youngest daughter (age 7), we'll be teaching her cursive at home if it's out of the curriculum by the time she should be learning it. I think it's a skill that one should have. For one thing, I can't imagine block-printing a signature.
Carol Haynes:
It reminds me of a UK education minister back in the 80s saying we don't need to teach kids to do sums any more as they all have calculators. He had a point but where is the understanding and ability to estimate.
-Carol Haynes (May 15, 2011, 06:25 PM)
--- End quote ---
I distantly remember something like that. But it entirely misses the point -- that being that the ability to do math is a general logic and thinking skill. The skill in itself leads to others. Like a gateway drug. :)
-Renegade (May 15, 2011, 06:36 PM)
--- End quote ---
I think that is pretty much what I was saying (sort of). However, how many of us honestly work out long division without recourse to a calculator in the real world, or to add up a long list of financial transactions. So Keith Joseph had a point - but without understanding there can be no extension and development of learning.
Having said that, as an ex-mathematics teacher, the chorus of "it must be right because the calculator says so ..." used to drive me to distraction - especially when it was out by a factor of 10000 and they were working out the price of sprouts.
Sums are only one part of mathematics (I never understand why Americans do math in the singular?? Do you only do one sum and then stop) but sums do form the basis of all sorts of pattern recognition and are a brilliant tool fr training kids to by systematic and critical.
In the same way writing skills are enhanced by being able to use all forms of writing - and fast fluid writing frees the thought processes. Until exams allow the use of laptops (And presumably the day is coming) kids have to learn to write efficiently and cursive script is the way to do that. Dropping cursive writing is almost issuing kids with a learning disability!
40hz:
For one thing, I can't imagine block-printing a signature.
-skwire (May 15, 2011, 06:55 PM)
--- End quote ---
I'm amazed at the number of people I know who do block print their "signature."
Which seems to be another thing that's losing significance as time goes on.
As an experiment, I've actually signed government forms and some bank paperwork with an "X" or an indecipherable 'scribble.' Nobody has ever challenged me for doing that provided my name was printed below it with the date. As long as that was there, you could apparently put anything you wanted on the signature line.
To be honest, I think the only thing they actually do check for is a date and a printed name. :-\
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version