Is Typing Making Us Stupid?

Listening to the CBC lunch-time phone in last week reminded me of this article (How Handwriting Boosts the Brain – WSJ.com) that I read months ago and the struggle that we had with Trillium International School to have our children taught cursive writing.

“Using advanced tools such as magnetic resonance imaging, researchers are finding that writing by hand is more than just a way to communicate. The practice helps with learning letters and shapes, can improve idea composition and expression, and may aid fine motor-skill development.”

The article also suggests significant benefit to adults learning new languages:

“For those writing by hand, there was stronger and longer-lasting recognition of the characters’ proper orientation, suggesting that the specific movements memorized when learning how to write aided the visual identification of graphic shapes.”

How is your handwriting?


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