...to think learning to write by hand will soon not be a priority?

[WalkingOnTheCracks]

My teenage daughter wrote a letter yesterday. I mean, on paper, to go in an envelope.

It occurred to me that I couldn't remember the last time I saw her use a pen.

It then occurred to me that I couldn't remember the last time I used a pen. And I'm a writer.

Birthday cards - that's about it.

So, how long will it be before handwriting becomes a non-core subject in schools, like art or woodwork?

To put it another way, for what reason will the ability to write by hand be vital to prospering in the world?

Signature? No, there are much more reliable ways of identifying a person, and they're already becoming the norm.

Work? I can't think of many jobs in which anything vital is communicated in handwriting. Teachers marking homework, possibly, but you can see how that might become obsolete. Writing on whiteboards in meetings? Yeah, there's still a lot of that. And even my doctor prints out prescriptions. There are few jobs for which the ability to write by hand is essential.

Just the sheer pleasure of doing it? Yep, possibly. But in that case handwriting will become like turning wood or cultivating bonsais - something that you might learn to do because you're interested, but unlikely to be a priority in the curriculum.

For formal or significant things - love letters, expressions of condolence? Well, possibly, but that's a remnant of a time when writing a letter was an important gesture. I'm not sure that it'll have the same significance for my grandchildren, because they'll have seen so few handwritten documents that it'll seem archaic rather than important.

One might say, 'But what if all the computers in the world crashed? People would still need to communicate in writing." And that's true, but it wouldn't be reason enough to spend money on teaching people to do it. Just as, in the event of all the cars grinding to a halt, people would still need to get around - but we haven't spent money on making sure everyone can ride a horse. We don't invest in teaching things that the vast majority of people are unlikely to have to do.

So, to be clear here, I'm not suggesting that handwriting should be dropped from the curriculum tomorrow. I'm asking what the justification will be for keeping it on the curriculum in a few decades from now.

YABU - there will always be practical, compelling reasons for teaching people to write by hand, and here they are...

YANBU - handwriting is probably going the way of archery or sewing. Some people will learn to do it, but most people won't ever need to, so it won't be a core subject in schools.

University - lecture notes? Work - taking notes at meetings, taking phone messages? And of course greeting cards and gift tags.

Some suggestive studies here points towards writing by hand being of benefit to most people.

There are plenty people for whom typing is best especially under time restrictions, but on the whole writing is a good thing. Cursive writing is faster than printing even if it's less legible to some.

Yabu - we are already seeing problems with children not developing the fine motor skills they need because they are writing less. I teach at university and, paradoxically, I have many students who cannot produce essays in the exam time frame because their handwriting is so poor and they can't type either!

@Duracellbunnywannabe

Nope its not going any where in schools. Schools can’t afford to keep a set of laptops plus spares just for exams, plus one for each child and spares for when they’re not charged or broken or forgotten. Lots of teachers are buying basic equipment like pens and paper so unless the government are planning to invest in education anytime soon (let’s face it Tories won’t) writing is going to be around for a ling time.

The cost thing is certainly a problem in terms of implementation, but it will be come less so. Sixty years ago, the computer power in your phone would have cost, literally, millions of dollars. Now it's less than a grand.

But - to go off at a tangent slightly - I don't think that the Tories, or any government, is likely to say, "We can't afford the technology. Stick with pen and paper." I think they're more likely to say, "We can't afford state education any more. And, actually, you know what? Is that delivery model really the most efficient? Perhaps it should be privatised."

In the same way as they're saying, "Look - the NHS....Bit of a contentious idea here, but..."

A few years ago, I looked into the possibility of volunteering to help as a teacher for adults.

The bloke said, "Could you teach basic maths? We're short of maths teachers."

I said, "Well, I think I could. But I'd much rather teach literacy. I mean, the ability to read is...well, it's enabling, isn't it? It gives you access to all sorts of useful information. Literacy is power."

And he said, "Yeah, it is. Which is exactly why central government commit so few resources to universal adult literacy. The last thing they want is a literate, empowered workforce."

No, handwriting is the basis of so many other important skills, it would be deskilling in general not to learn to write. Interestingly in China they are focusing on handwriting still because it is the basis of so many other important skills.

You can not truly create many vital things without the ability to use hands. It is the basis of so many things that can be done using IT but can not be done as well without the manual dexterity and skills handwriting helps to develop.

People need both manual dexterity and IT skills.

I work in an office and have a pen in my hand 95% of the day.

I also take minutes outside of my job so use a pen then.

@carefullycourageous

No, handwriting is the basis of so many other important skills, it would be deskilling in general not to learn to write. Interestingly in China they are focusing on handwriting still because it is the basis of so many other important skills.

You can not truly create many vital things without the ability to use hands. It is the basis of so many things that can be done using IT but can not be done as well without the manual dexterity and skills handwriting helps to develop.

People need both manual dexterity and IT skills.

I think this is true. The ability to write by hand does offer benefits in other areas - dexterity, development of motor skills, the connection between the physical act of doing something and the synaptic processes of creativity. I'm not suggesting otherwise.

What I doubt is that that argument will prevail when someone says, "Why are we teaching people to write? I mean, no one needs to be able to anymore, outside a few specialisms in a small number of professions. It's a waste of time..."

"No, but wait..."

"...and money. Do you know how many billions we'd save by dropping handwriting from the curriculum? Really. I've had my people do a spreadsheet. The economies are staggering."

"Yeah, but..."

"Hey, I'm just saying we should consider it, that's all. Have it on the agenda."

"...if you insist, Mr Chancellor."

@WalkingOnTheCracks This government is trying to take us backwards, not forwards!

I use a pen all the time as a teacher. And not even to mark work. I do displays, I write observations down on post-its, jot down notes about that day's lessons while I'm talking to other teachers, annotate children's work or write their names on if I'm in EYFS, I write on the interactive whiteboard... Yes, some things can use technology, like signing in to a school when I'm on supply or using an online platform to communicate with parents, but I honestly use handwriting all the time in ways you just can't do with tech!

I still write notes for work in paper as im going along and so do most of my colleagues

Yes writing notes on paper and doing doodles, sketches are important for helpingt o organise thoughts.

It’s true, and my handwriting has certainly got worse through lack of use.

I used to envy my cousins their beautiful hand writing (they were taught cursive handwriting or whatever it’s called), but now it does seem redundant. Shame.

@JamSandwich89

I have to say, I write in cursive, but the only other people I know who do that are my Granny and her friends, so you probably have a point!

I went through our wedding cards a few weeks ago (written by people who are mostly late 30s now) and the vast majority were in cursive. I do associate printing with people who are less comfortable with expressing themselves in writing.

I read somewhere recently, that being taught to write is the same as being taught to think.

Probably won’t become obsolete in mine or my dc’s lifetime but maybe one day. I do think the time is now for it ti become a more basic functional skill and less emphasis on all this pen license shit!
If it’s functional and legible then great but way way to much time is spent putting pressure on kids who struggle to perfect it and there really is no need (IMO)

Is cursive writing just joined up writing?

I use pen and paper all the time to take notes and wrote pages and pages when interviewing people over the last couple of weeks.

At home I plan my menu and shopping list in writing, or just general to do lists. I have electronic ones too, but use both.

Over lockdown, my teenager and her friends went through a spate of writing each other little letters as well as talking online.

I sometimes keep a handwritten journal.

Pen and paper is just there! I barely use a computer outside work, so use my phone mostly, and it's just easier and quicker to jot some things down.

@TheSmallAssassin pretty much, but my cousins’ writing is her beautiful as well, as well as joined up. A wasted skill now.

I find handwritten notes a pain now.

I much prefer typing notes in email, and emailing them to me. So much easier to track down what I notes from a particular meeting rather Han going through a notebook.

The reason for being able to write by hand is to prevent an Orwellian world where people can’t exchange thoughts freely.

I’m not as worried about a cashless society because barter will always be a possibility.

I handwrite pretty much every day

• shopping lists
• cards
• general to do lists
• random maths
• revision cards for DD

I prefer handwriting for things like commenting on documents, brainstorming etc too.

YABVU. Just because you don't use one in your work and your daughter doesn't use one.....

Both my kids use one every single day. All homework. All school work. My daughter writes her diary every day.

I use mountains of paper at work (not my choice, the industry I'm in) and I couldn't do my job properly without a pen.

As a side note, my son writes in cursive and it's almost illegible! Wish school would let them write non cursive.

@SauceGirl

Cheaper? How? It doesn't use any resources. Doubt it's quicker either.

A pencil and an old paper sweet paper or the like us a lot quicker and cheaper than a phone , tablet or laptop and more reliable.

YANBU and I wish schools wouldn't place so much ridiculous importance on it. My kid with dyslexia and dyspraxia massively struggles.

Mind you, I work with children and young people and I handwrite notes in every session. But they are only for me to read.

@Winday

DS is part of a pilot scheme in his (secondary, Scottish) school to gradually get rid of jotters where possible. All students in his year have been provided with laptops for school use only. It is definitely of benefit to him, as he has ASN and was reluctant to "stick out" too much by using a laptop before. He finds it easier to keep up when he can type rather than pen and paper.

I'm sure handwriting will still be taught in primary school, it's always going to be a hugely important skill - but I can see it being used less as children go into secondary.

My friend's son is in high school and it's similar there - they use laptops every lesson. Go in, open it up, take notes/open a particular worksheet etc. So I can definitely see it being phased out in high schools in terms of having to write things.

But I don't know how you teach to read without teaching to write... maybe the way we learn to read will change!

I think it is more likely that typing will become obsolete and writing with a stylus, like the Apple pen, will become the norm.

1. technology isn't infallible
2. writing is faster than typing (using a keyboard or a touchscreen)
3. although voice recognition is faster than writing, it isn't as accurate at the moment, and, even if it were perfect, it isn't suitable in all situations eg taking notes in a lecture or when you need privacy

One of my DC needs to use assistive technology so we have spent years assessing the most appropriate solutions.

@CounsellorTroi

University - lecture notes? Work - taking notes at meetings, taking phone messages? And of course greeting cards and gift tags.

I went to uni 14 years ago and I took all my notes on a laptop, take all my meeting notes at work digitally now and would leave a phone message at work for someone by sending it them on Slack.

Gift tags and cards, yes, but with Moonpig and the like, you don't even need to handwrite a card any more.

I can't remember the last time I physically wrote something - my to do list and diary are digital, too!