SIGforum.com    Main Page  Hop To Forum Categories  The Lounge    Cursive sees revival in school instruction
Page 1 2 
Go
New
Find
Notify
Tools
Reply
  
Cursive sees revival in school instruction Login/Join 
Member
Picture of olfuzzy
posted
I could never understand why they dropped it in the first place.

NEW YORK – Cursive writing is looping back into style in schools across the country after a generation of students who know only keyboarding, texting and printing out their words longhand.

Alabama and Louisiana passed laws in 2016 mandating cursive proficiency in public schools, the latest of 14 states that require cursive. And last fall, the 1.1 million-student New York City schools, the nation's largest public school system, encouraged the teaching of cursive to students, generally in the third grade.

"It's definitely not necessary but I think it's, like, cool to have it," said Emily Ma, a 17-year-old senior at New York City's academically rigorous Stuyvesant High School who was never taught cursive in school and had to learn it on her own.

Penmanship proponents say writing words in an unbroken line of swooshing l's and three-humped m's is just a faster, easier way of taking notes. Others say students should be able to understand documents written in cursive, such as, say, a letter from Grandma. And still more say it's just a good life skill to have, especially when it comes to signing your name.

That was where New York state Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis drew the line on the cursive generation gap, when she encountered an 18-year-old at a voter registration event who printed out his name in block letters.

"I said to him, 'No, you have to sign here,'" Malliotakis said. "And he said, 'That is my signature. I never learned script.'"

Malliotakis, a Republican from the New York City borough of Staten Island, took her concerns to city education officials and found a receptive audience.

Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina distributed a handbook on teaching cursive writing in September and is encouraging principals to use it. It cites research suggesting that fluent cursive helps students master writing tasks such as spelling and sentence construction because they don't have to think as much about forming letters.

Malliotakis also noted that students who can't read cursive will never be able to read historical documents. "If an American student cannot read the Declaration of Independence, that is sad."

It's hard to pinpoint exactly when cursive writing began to fall out of favor. But cursive instruction was in decline long before 2010, when most states adopted the Common Core curriculum standards, which say nothing about handwriting.

Some script skeptics question the advantage of cursive writing over printing and wonder whether teaching it takes away from other valuable instruction.

Anne Trubek, author of "The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting," said schools should not require cursive mastery any more than they should require all children to play a musical instrument.

"I think students would all benefit from learning the piano," she said, "but I don't think schools should require all students take piano lessons."

At P.S. 166 in Queens, Principal Jessica Geller said there was never a formal decision over the years to banish the teaching of cursive. "We just got busy with the addition of technology, and we started focusing on computers," she said.

Third-graders at the school beamed as they prepared for a cursive lesson this past week. The 8-year-olds got their markers out, straightened their posture and flexed their wrists. Then it was "swoosh, curl, swoosh, curl," as teacher Christine Weltner guided the students in writing linked-together c's and a's.

Norzim Lama said he prefers cursive writing to printing "'cause it looks fancy." Camille Santos said cursive is "actually like doodling a little bit."

Added Araceli Lazaro: "It's a really fascinating way to write, and I really think that everybody should learn about writing in script."

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017...ool-instruction.html
 
Posts: 5181 | Location: 20 miles north of hell | Registered: November 07, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Tinker Sailor Soldier Pie
Picture of Balzé Halzé
posted Hide Post
Good.

I always intended for my daughter to learn cursive whether they teach it to her in school or not.


~Alan

Acta Non Verba
NRA Life Member (Patron)
God, Family, Guns, Country

Men will fight and die to protect women... because women protect everything else. ~Andrew Klavan

"Once there was only dark. If you ask me, light is winning." ~Rust Cohle
 
Posts: 30299 | Location: Elv. 7,000 feet, Utah | Registered: October 29, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Fighting the good fight
Picture of RogueJSK
posted Hide Post
Even beyond things like being able to read cursive, and being able to sign your name properly, I found cursive to be very helpful in college. I had some professors who spoke so rapidly in their lectures that cursive was the only way to keep up when taking notes. (Although most kids probably type their notes these days.)
 
Posts: 32430 | Location: Northwest Arkansas | Registered: January 06, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
delicately calloused
Picture of darthfuster
posted Hide Post
Almost a decade ago I was shocked to learn schools had stopped teaching cursive writing. I was standing in front of a group of middle school kids teaching a lesson and illustrating on the blackboard. I became annoyed at the chittering and giggling behind me as I wrote. I turned and asked what was so funny. One of them said, "It sounds funny." When I probed further, the student said the sounds of the chalk on the board as I wrote were new to them and it sounded funny. Putting two and two together I asked if they could read it. Most could make it out but some had no clue.....and my handwriting is no bad. Turns out somewhere along the line some knucklehead decided keyboarding is the literacy of the future so handwriting and cursive were out. I thought then and do now that this decision was a mammoth blunder. Ever seen the typical young person's handwriting these days? It is terrible scratch print barely legible.



You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier
 
Posts: 29608 | Location: Highland, Ut. | Registered: May 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
blame canada
Picture of AKSuperDually
posted Hide Post
Still is and has been taught in our local schools.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The trouble with our Liberal friends...is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." Ronald Reagan, 1964
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Arguing with some people is like playing chess with a pigeon. It doesn't matter how good I am at chess, the pigeon will just take a shit on the board, strut around knocking over all the pieces and act like it won.. and in some cases it will insult you at the same time." DevlDogs55, 2014 Big Grin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.rikrlandvs.com
 
Posts: 13939 | Location: On the mouth of the great Kenai River | Registered: June 24, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
Today's children cannot read the Declaration of Independence. That about sums it up for me. I had a teacher refer to it as original source document. I bet it is available in PDF to download for today's youth.
 
Posts: 17177 | Location: Stuck at home | Registered: January 02, 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Green Mountain Boy
Picture of Jus228
posted Hide Post
I can read it perfectly well but don't ask me to write it. I can barely sign my name with it.


!~God Bless the U.S. Military~!

If the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off

Light travels faster than sound, this is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak
 
Posts: 5563 | Location: Vermont | Registered: March 02, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Waiting for Hachiko
Picture of Sunset_Va
posted Hide Post
I think it should be taught, however, it is up to the individual after learning cursive, to maintain the style. Some people just have the ability to write readable cursive.

I don't.

Since the 70's, when I went to work for one of those alphabet agencies, (pre-computer), all our field and office documents HAD to be written in print. My skill and legibility in print excelled, due to 30+ years of practice.

In the late 90's, computers entered our field, however, sketches, on pay items such a excavation, structure layouts, had to be printed still.

Cursive writing is a beautiful thing.


美しい犬
 
Posts: 6673 | Location: Near the Metropolis of Tightsqueeze, Va | Registered: February 18, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
I have mixed feelings about students learning cursive. Our grandparents could crank out some pretty nice Palmer Method, but wouldn't know how to turn on a computer. Different skills for different times.

As to the DOI: What difference does it make if you can read it as written? How many people can read the Bible in its original form? That's a heck of a lot more disconnected than changing the font.
 
Posts: 8944 | Location: The Red part of Minnesota | Registered: October 06, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Just because you can,
doesn't mean you should
posted Hide Post
Many of them can't put together a proper sentence, even with spell and grammar check.


___________________________
Avoid buying ChiCom/CCP products whenever possible.
 
Posts: 9456 | Location: NE GA | Registered: August 22, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Big Stack
posted Hide Post
Obsolete. The time and effort could better used on more valuable skills.
 
Posts: 21240 | Registered: November 05, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Only the strong survive
Picture of 41
posted Hide Post
I can't believe they ever stopped teaching it. High tech is good but you need both.

41


41
 
Posts: 11828 | Location: Herndon, VA | Registered: June 11, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Honky Lips
Picture of FenderBender
posted Hide Post
I was on the tail end of cursive right before they phased it out, I can't write worth a damn but I bet I can type faster than just about anybody on this forum.

cursive was a bane for me. I can however read it and sign things.
 
Posts: 8144 | Registered: July 24, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of PeterGV
posted Hide Post
I think spending school time teaching kids to write cursive is silly. Being able to read cursive and being able to write it are two different things.

Because of changing school systems at the wrong time as a kid, I never properly learned how to write cursive. I even sat through Palmer penmanship... did no good. I can't write a sentence in cursive today. I can read it just fine.

I don't think I've suffered in any way.

I just don't see being able to write cursive as being necessary or useful. Read? Yes. Write? No.
 
Posts: 1318 | Location: New Hampshire | Registered: April 24, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Saluki
posted Hide Post
I get plenty of signatures every day. I am stunned at the number of people who print their name out as a signature.

I was relieved to find it was no longer taught, as I was sure I dealt with absolute idiots all day long. They look like 2nd grade kids putting their names on homework.


----------The weather is here I wish you were beautiful----------
 
Posts: 5130 | Location: southern Mn | Registered: February 26, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Master of one hand
pistol shooting
Picture of Hamden106
posted Hide Post
When reviewing applications, I give an edge to the ones with readable writing.
 
Posts: 6295 | Location: Oregon | Registered: September 01, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
No double standards
posted Hide Post
I took a combined notehand (ie, modified shorthand) and type class in high school. My dad worked with a computer in his lab, thought there would be a future need for keyboard skills. I liked the class as girls outnumbered boys about 5:1.

With the advent of computers, and now personal electronics, I haven't used cursive since high school.




"Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women. When it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it....While it lies there, it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it"
- Judge Learned Hand, May 1944
 
Posts: 30668 | Location: UT | Registered: November 11, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Doin' what I can
with what I got
Picture of Rob Decker
posted Hide Post
I have not used cursive for anything since learning it except for signing my name, and that's pretty much illegible.


----------------------------------------
Death smiles at us all. Be sure you smile back.
 
Posts: 5540 | Location: Greater Nashville, TN | Registered: May 11, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
I didn't realize it had been phased out until about a yr. ago when I found out our 18 yr. old cashier at my work did not know how to write cursive. She wanted me to teach her. Any time something needs to be done by hand, people at my work ask me to do it because "You have such beautiful writing." I thoroughly enjoy writing. It always brings back fond memories of my Mother & I doing caligraphy together when I was a child. When I am in a hurry, I print (I don't really care how it looks). When I am not I. A hurry, I write cursive (I want it to look pretty)
 
Posts: 537 | Registered: March 14, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
They're after my Lucky Charms!
Picture of IrishWind
posted Hide Post


Lord, your ocean is so very large and my divos are so very f****d-up
Dirt Sailors Unite!
 
Posts: 25075 | Location: NoVa | Registered: May 06, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
  Powered by Social Strata Page 1 2  
 

SIGforum.com    Main Page  Hop To Forum Categories  The Lounge    Cursive sees revival in school instruction

© SIGforum 2024