I don't see much of a need for cursive to be taught anymore in schools. I personally never use cursive except to sign my name. In this age of technology I think it would be more beneficial to teach students typing and other computer skills rather than cursive.
This topic was quite thought-provoking! I became a bit schizophrenic! I began by brainstorming reasons to teach cursive writing for purposes such as:
*signing a document (legal documents, checks, etc.) *writing a formal letter *taking notes(puts thoughts to paper faster) *improve motor skills *develop fine penmanship
Then I thought about the evolution of technology on writing and realized I haven't written in cursive myself! I came up with counter arguments for each of the reasons I initially listed. As for signing a document, I don't believe there is a law which states one must must have a signature that is in cursive. Your signature can be what you wish. As for signing checks, most people e-bank anyway.
*formal letters can be typed using a proper format
*many students are learning to take notes on their laptop, developing efficiency with typing skills, a skill individuals needed in this day and age.
*aren't there a ton of other ways of developing motor skills?
*isn't typing legible?
As a parent of this current generation we are teaching, I cannot tear myself away from teaching cursive. I still feel a need to teach our children to preserve a form of our heritage. Will they not be able to read our country's Declaration of Independence? Shall we do away with spelling since there's spell check now?
Aloha Mari, Great Question! Is there a need for cursive in our 21st century learning? I am a firm believer that our generations needs to know any type of foundations. Technology is great but I feel soometimes these kids rely on technology too much. I once asked my class what would they do if the DOE put a zero tolerance on cell phones or any technological devices, 90 percent of them said it would be the end of the world for them. I personally feel that we still need to teach cursive in schools and keep our traditions alive and strong. Cursive will always come in handy at any age.
Molly- I agree that cursive is a part of our traditions and history, maybe it could be taught but not as a vital skill. I personally so much better with printing, but I appreciate being able to read cursive.
Mark-I agree that we can be too dependent on technology but I also think we have to embrace it. Our students will surely need good typing skills over good cursive skills.
As much as I feel that cursive expresses elegance and history of writing throughout the years, I feel that more time should be spent on the mechanics and quality of writing versus cursive. The advancement of technology has almost obliterated the need for cursive. Personally, I enjoy writing in cursive and feel that its great to have our children have the option of writing in cursive and print, however there is no 'need" for it anymore.
I completely agree with you in that we need to keep our traditions alive and strong. Recently I had to proctor the SAT test, and a part of the test asks them to write a paragraph in cursive. Many of the students in the class could NOT do it. It was really quite sad.
Hi Molly,
Great post. I completely agree with you in that we 'should' continue to teach our children cursive. There is so much history behind it. And it would be quite sad to see cursive become obliterated because of the advancement of technology.
Molly, I completely see your view on keeping cursive alive in school. How right you are, students need to be able to decipher cursive in historical documents. How can one understand what one cannot read?
Mark...I agree with you regarding students relying too much on technology today. They would be rather lost without it.
Hi Mari, It seems like there's a lot of mixed views on this topic, not only in this blog, but just hearing teachers bring this topic up every now and then. Although I'm pro-technology, I do feel students today still need the basics of cursive. Whether they choose to use it after it's been learned is up to the individual. But just having that basic foundation is key. As a lower grade elementary teacher, it's always been a thrill for these young ones to start cursive. It makes them feel "grown-up", perhaps?
Hi everyone, I agree that in today's society, cursive has lost much of it's value over technology. But I still feel it is necessary for students to learn how to write in cursive, even if we don't use it as often. I like Molly's thought provoking questions about teaching spelling, if we have spell check now. It's just like how we are trying to perpetuate our different cultures now westernization has overcasted our cultures. Traci M.
Chelsea, I agree with you. Not much application for cursive writing anymore. Signing your name is about the only application, and they ask you to print your name under it most times, so what is the point? Keyboarding skills are more better.
Mark G, I somewhat disagree with you. We should be teaching lessons that incorporate cellphones and text messaging. The jobs of the future will rely on technology. cheers, Keith C
Hi Everyone, After reading the posts, I decided to modify my original comment. I think teaching cursive as a way to increase writing speed is out moded. Learning how to type seems to be a more valuable skill in the digital age. However, there is still a value in teaching students how to write in cursive. Students should be able to sign their names in cursive. To me, signatures are like fingerprints – unique to each individual. In my experience, middle school students who don’t know how to write their names in cursive feel embarrassed. They are equally excited when they realize they can express their personalities through their signatures. I also see similarities between cursive and calligraphy. Could cursive be taught as an art to counter balance time spent in front of the computer?
Hi Mari, This is a very interesting topic. My initial reaction was that with the advancement of technology, cursive is no longer necessary, except for when it comes to signing your name. But, after looking at other posts, in some ways cursive is still needed because if someone writes in cursive or if there is reading material that has cursive, how will our students be able to read it. For me personally, although I hardly write in cursive, I would still want my children to learn it "just in case". But I wouldn't want teachers to focus on it so much when there are a lot of other things that they need to focus on throughout the year.
Hi Erin, I agree with what you posted about more focus should be placed on the mechanics and quality of writing, rather than cursive. I would rather read a well written product than a product that was written nicely in cursive, but made no sense at all. Thank you!
Hi Mark, I totally agree with what you said about children being so dependent on technology these days. Without it, they don't know what to do with themselves. Like you, I think we should keep traditions alive because you never know when you'll need it. Thank you!
Hello Mark, I agree that children are so dependent on technology these days and that we should keep traditions alive. Although we live in a world now where we depend on technology so much, I believe students still need to learn cursive. For me when it comes to writing, I actually find it quicker to write in cursive. Not only that... what happens if something happens to our technology and students have no access to it? Also, how will they be able to read any writing that is written in cursive?
Hello Ralene, I agree with you that elementary students should still learn the basics of learning cursive. Although I teach first graders, some of my students will attempt to write something in cursive (although not correctly) because they want to feel grown up, and when they finally get to third grade, they're excited about this new writing opportunity. If anything, students should still be exposed to cursive writing because they never know when they'll encounter it.
I don't see much of a need for cursive to be taught anymore in schools. I personally never use cursive except to sign my name. In this age of technology I think it would be more beneficial to teach students typing and other computer skills rather than cursive.
ReplyDeleteChelsea R
This topic was quite thought-provoking! I became a bit schizophrenic! I began by brainstorming reasons to teach cursive writing for purposes such as:
ReplyDelete*signing a document (legal documents, checks, etc.)
*writing a formal letter
*taking notes(puts thoughts to paper faster)
*improve motor skills
*develop fine penmanship
Then I thought about the evolution of technology on writing and realized I haven't written in cursive myself! I came up with counter arguments for each of the reasons I initially listed. As for signing a document, I don't believe there is a law which states one must must have a signature that is in cursive. Your signature can be what you wish. As for signing checks, most people e-bank anyway.
*formal letters can be typed using a proper format
*many students are learning to take notes on their laptop, developing efficiency with typing skills, a skill individuals needed in this day and age.
*aren't there a ton of other ways of developing motor skills?
*isn't typing legible?
As a parent of this current generation we are teaching, I cannot tear myself away from teaching cursive. I still feel a need to teach our children to preserve a form of our heritage. Will they not be able to read our country's Declaration of Independence? Shall we do away with spelling since there's spell check now?
Aloha Mari,
ReplyDeleteGreat Question! Is there a need for cursive in our 21st century learning? I am a firm believer that our generations needs to know any type of foundations. Technology is great but I feel soometimes these kids rely on technology too much. I once asked my class what would they do if the DOE put a zero tolerance on cell phones or any technological devices, 90 percent of them said it would be the end of the world for them. I personally feel that we still need to teach cursive in schools and keep our traditions alive and strong. Cursive will always come in handy at any age.
Aloha, Mark G.
Molly- I agree that cursive is a part of our traditions and history, maybe it could be taught but not as a vital skill. I personally so much better with printing, but I appreciate being able to read cursive.
ReplyDeleteMark-I agree that we can be too dependent on technology but I also think we have to embrace it. Our students will surely need good typing skills over good cursive skills.
Hi Mari,
ReplyDeleteAs much as I feel that cursive expresses elegance and history of writing throughout the years, I feel that more time should be spent on the mechanics and quality of writing versus cursive. The advancement of technology has almost obliterated the need for cursive. Personally, I enjoy writing in cursive and feel that its great to have our children have the option of writing in cursive and print, however there is no 'need" for it anymore.
Erin Y.
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you in that we need to keep our traditions alive and strong. Recently I had to proctor the SAT test, and a part of the test asks them to write a paragraph in cursive. Many of the students in the class could NOT do it. It was really quite sad.
Hi Molly,
Great post. I completely agree with you in that we 'should' continue to teach our children cursive. There is so much history behind it. And it would be quite sad to see cursive become obliterated because of the advancement of technology.
Erin
Molly, I completely see your view on keeping cursive alive in school. How right you are, students need to be able to decipher cursive in historical documents. How can one understand what one cannot read?
ReplyDeleteMark...I agree with you regarding students relying too much on technology today. They would be rather lost without it.
Hi Mari,
ReplyDeleteIt seems like there's a lot of mixed views on this topic, not only in this blog, but just hearing teachers bring this topic up every now and then. Although I'm pro-technology, I do feel students today still need the basics of cursive. Whether they choose to use it after it's been learned is up to the individual. But just having that basic foundation is key. As a lower grade elementary teacher, it's always been a thrill for these young ones to start cursive. It makes them feel "grown-up", perhaps?
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI agree that in today's society, cursive has lost much of it's value over technology. But I still feel it is necessary for students to learn how to write in cursive, even if we don't use it as often. I like Molly's thought provoking questions about teaching spelling, if we have spell check now. It's just like how we are trying to perpetuate our different cultures now westernization has overcasted our cultures.
Traci M.
Chelsea, I agree with you. Not much application for cursive writing anymore. Signing your name is about the only application, and they ask you to print your name under it most times, so what is the point? Keyboarding skills are more better.
ReplyDeleteMark G, I somewhat disagree with you. We should be teaching lessons that incorporate cellphones and text messaging. The jobs of the future will rely on technology.
cheers,
Keith C
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the posts, I decided to modify my original comment. I think teaching cursive as a way to increase writing speed is out moded. Learning how to type seems to be a more valuable skill in the digital age. However, there is still a value in teaching students how to write in cursive. Students should be able to sign their names in cursive. To me, signatures are like fingerprints – unique to each individual. In my experience, middle school students who don’t know how to write their names in cursive feel embarrassed. They are equally excited when they realize they can express their personalities through their signatures. I also see similarities between cursive and calligraphy. Could cursive be taught as an art to counter balance time spent in front of the computer?
Hi Mari,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic. My initial reaction was that with the advancement of technology, cursive is no longer necessary, except for when it comes to signing your name. But, after looking at other posts, in some ways cursive is still needed because if someone writes in cursive or if there is reading material that has cursive, how will our students be able to read it. For me personally, although I hardly write in cursive, I would still want my children to learn it "just in case". But I wouldn't want teachers to focus on it so much when there are a lot of other things that they need to focus on throughout the year.
Hi Erin,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you posted about more focus should be placed on the mechanics and quality of writing, rather than cursive. I would rather read a well written product than a product that was written nicely in cursive, but made no sense at all. Thank you!
Hi Mark,
I totally agree with what you said about children being so dependent on technology these days. Without it, they don't know what to do with themselves. Like you, I think we should keep traditions alive because you never know when you'll need it. Thank you!
~Ralna
Hello Mark,
ReplyDeleteI agree that children are so dependent on technology these days and that we should keep traditions alive. Although we live in a world now where we depend on technology so much, I believe students still need to learn cursive. For me when it comes to writing, I actually find it quicker to write in cursive. Not only that... what happens if something happens to our technology and students have no access to it? Also, how will they be able to read any writing that is written in cursive?
Hello Ralene,
I agree with you that elementary students should still learn the basics of learning cursive. Although I teach first graders, some of my students will attempt to write something in cursive (although not correctly) because they want to feel grown up, and when they finally get to third grade, they're excited about this new writing opportunity. If anything, students should still be exposed to cursive writing because they never know when they'll encounter it.
- Jamielyn S