AFTER marking exam scripts for a long time, I have seen many types of answers and handwriting. But this semester, I found an exam script that was so neatly and beautifully handwritten that my colleague at first thought that it was a computer font.
In the age of keypads, where obsession with gadgets even among toddlers is widespread, there is less interest among the young in having neat handwriting.
When asked to write something down, many students prefer to snap pictures of the notes and keep them in their phone. Or they would rather type them on the computer and then print them out.
Having beautiful handwriting was a pride in our younger days. We were in awe of those having neat handwriting.
Perhaps, in essence, that was what beautiful handwriting did then: it earned one the respect of penmanship.
To type a piece of work can be a waste of time, energy and resources because printing requires a printer, paper and ink.
Further, the ink required will be subject to the font size. If the font is big and bold, more ink is required.
Whereas, if one writes on a piece of paper in class, one requires only a pencil, an eraser and paper. If there is an error, it can be erased. Time, resources and money are saved.
If an error is found in print form, the piece of work has to be re-printed.
In the 1960s, we were not only forced to write systematically but taught to write in cursive.
We were observed keenly by teachers. Fearing the teacher standing next to us, we wrote slowly and seriously. Viewed from a different perspective, as we write with the fullest attention, our involvement is deeper in the meaning of the words, phrases and sentences. As we see, observe and think, we will be more aware of the spelling of words and the meaning of the text. It, too, gives the writers a better idea of how words and phrases sync.
Of late, there have been scientific research reporting on the benefits of handwriting.
The Washington Post’s Education section (July 26), quoting research, said learning to write in cursive engages the brain more deeply, improves fine motor dexterity and gives children a better idea of how words work in combination. In cursive writing, letters are connected to each other or run into another in loops. “Cursive” comes from the Latin word “currere”, which means “to run”.
Considering the benefits of cursive writing, 10 states in the United States have passed laws requiring cursive writing be taught in public schools, it was reported.
There is wisdom in making the young learn handwriting as part of a formal subject, be it normal or cursive.
Writing is an act of producing a symbol by hand that requires the integration of many brain activities such as visual, memory and motor information.
Hence, it can be seen as a tool to improve one’s faculty.
In this vein, there is a neuroscience study conducted by Vinci-Booher, James, and James, published in Trends in Neuroscience and Education journal this year, which showed that writing by hand made the children’s “functional pathways move from left visual regions to the left dorsal primary motor/somatosensory cortice” in their motor region brain as compared to typing.
These researchers concluded that there is visual-motor functional connectivity after the children wrote something instead of typing. This is understood. As we write, we need to focus on the letters, paper, line, ink and spacing, hence the brain “moves” more.
If this single research is reporting that handwriting can incur movements in certain regions of the brain instead of typing, there should be more studies on its good effect on our faculty.
Research of this type is important as parents buy screen gadgets for their toddlers and children “to type” or “press buttons” in the hope of improving their offspring’s mind.
Certainly, we cannot dismiss gadgets altogether, as the young can learn something from them.
But as we know scientifically that handwriting benefits a child more than typing, hence it would be good if we sit with them to teach them to write.
Other than improving their minds, it is spending time with them. They, too, may grow into adults with beautiful handwriting, earning respect for their penmanship, like the kind that impressed us examiners in an exam recently.
Megawati Omar,
Academy of Language Studies, UiTM, Shah Alam, Selangor