Latest news with #cursive
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Should students go back to learning cursive? Georgia schools say 'Yes'
Remember all the loops, curls, and swirls involved with learning how to write in cursive? Well, movies aren't the only thing that can be rebooted. Georgia Department of Education has revised its standards for English Language Arts to require cursive writing after disappearing from the Common Core State Standards for more than a decade. A packet has been issued to schools providing guidance on how they may frame and implement these lessons. Cursive has been made part of the ELA Standards' "Foundations" for grades 3-5. This involves learning how to read in cursive as well as developing the fine motor skills to form legible letters and words in cursive. Each school is encouraged to establish a uniform cursive writing style or method. The packet gives details on the commonly-used Zaner-Bloser and D'Nealian styles, but there are other styles to choose from as well. Some are more simplistic and almost print-like, while others may look like something off the Declaration of Independence. But before learning to do any style, students must first develop a strong foundation in print handwriting (AKA "normal" writing) including proper spacing of letters and accurate formation of individual letters. Guidance has also been given on how to support left-handed writers in these lessons. These standards have been set for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. It's unclear when specifically during the school year they will start learning this and will likely vary by school and even by teacher. Learning cursive has become a controversial subject, with the National Education Association laying out pros and cons on both sides in 2022: Those for teaching cursive point to studies that have shown learning cursive improves retention and comprehension, engages the brain on a deep level, enhances fine motor dexterity, and gives kids a better idea of how words work in combination. Georgia's education officials used similar arguments. In a college lecture hall, for example, longhand note-takers may not be able to write everything said, but they will be able to recall more of the information. Those against writing cursive say the curriculum is already packed and is a step backwards as the world becomes more and more digital. In a college lecture hall, those with a laptop will be able to type notes much faster than someone writing them, and would be able to collect more information. So which is better? That debate has been going on for years and will likely continue for years to come. Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Department of Education brings cursive to schools 2025-2026
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Can learning cursive help kids read better? Some policymakers think it's worth a try
(The Conversation) – Recently, my 8-year-old son received a birthday card from his grandmother. He opened the card, looked at it and said, 'I can't read cursive yet.' Then he handed it to me to read. If you have a child in the Philadelphia School District, chances are they have not been taught how to read or write cursive either. But cursive handwriting is making a comeback of sorts for K-8 students in the United States. Several states in recent years passed legislation mandating instruction in cursive handwriting, including California, Iowa and Oklahoma. Pennsylvania and New Jersey are considering similar legislation, as are other states. I'm an associate professor of special education and the director of the Iowa Reading Research Center. At the center, we're conducting a systematic review of prior research to improve cursive handwriting instruction. We also want to know how learning cursive affects the development of reading and writing skills. In cursive handwriting, the individual letters of a word are joined with connecting strokes, such as in a person's signature. Cursive fell out of favor in U.S. schools over a decade ago. In 2010, most states adopted Common Core academic standards which omitted cursive handwriting from expected academic skills to be learned by K-8 students. In fact, the standards only briefly mention print handwriting, a writing style in which the individual letters of a word are unconnected, as a skill to be taught in early elementary grades. Educators often have trouble finding enough time in the school day to teach all the expected writing skills, let alone something that's not mandated such as cursive handwriting. In several national surveys, teachers have reported limited amounts of time for writing instruction and that they have found it difficult to address both the basic skills of writing, such as handwriting, and more advanced skills, such as essay composition. The increased interest in cursive handwriting likely stems from effort by policymakers to improve the literacy performance of K-12 students across the country. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading assessment, a measure of nationwide reading progress, only 31% of fourth grade students scored proficient or above. Philadelphia's numbers were worse, with just 19% of fourth grade students scoring proficient or above. Research suggests it may be possible to improve overall writing and reading through handwriting instruction. The benefits have been more closely studied with print handwriting, but preliminary evidence suggests cursive handwriting instruction may also be beneficial. Some studies have found cursive handwriting instruction can improve handwriting legibility, writing length and select reading skills. In a 2020 study, researchers found cursive handwriting instruction can also improve spelling accuracy and storytelling ability. Why might cursive make a difference? On the surface, it seems like a simple motor skill. But under the surface, cursive handwriting draws upon deep reading knowledge and requires the coordination of multiple cognitive and physical processes. To handwrite letters or spell words in print or cursive, students need to commit multiple aspects of each letter to memory. For example, if students handwrite the word 'cat,' they need to know the overall shape of each letter, as well as its name and sound. After drawing upon this reading knowledge from memory, students use a combination of motor and vision systems to write each letter and the entire word. Gross motor movements are used to adjust the body and arm to the writing surface. Fine motor movements are used to manipulate the pencil with one's fingers. And visual-motor coordination is used to write each letter and adjust movements as needed. Besides potential benefits to overall writing and reading development, cursive handwriting continues to have social importance. It is often used to sign formal documents via a cursive signature, or to communicate with close friends or loved ones. Furthermore, understanding cursive is needed to read important historical documents, such as the Declaration of Independence. Even in the digital age, touch-screen tablets and other devices often come with the ability to handwrite text with an electronic pencil. I teach courses at the University of Iowa, and many of my students handwrite their notes on electronic tablets. For schools, low-tech options such as paper and pencils remain more cost-efficient than high-tech options. For example, it can be time-consuming and expensive to replace a broken laptop but relatively cheap to sharpen a broken pencil or get a new piece of paper. Although it may be difficult for educators to find sufficient time for writing instruction, students will likely benefit from developing the capacity to express their ideas in a variety of ways, including cursive handwriting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
