Indiana, joined up thinking?

[Gob]

Indiana is the latest US state which will not require its schoolchildren to learn joined-up, or cursive, writing.

But students will have to learn basic typing skills, which education officials say are more useful in the modern employment world.

The move is part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which aims to ensure consistency in US education and makes no mention of handwriting.

But critics say writing well is a vital skill for life and builds character.

US schoolchildren currently learn to write with joined-up writing from about the age of eight.

But under the core standards - which were released in June 2010 and have been adopted by nearly all US states - there is no requirement for them to do so.
'Progressive'

Children from grade six upwards - about 11 years old - will, however, be expected to "demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting".

Many schools have said there simply is not enough time in the term to teach children both.

Dr Scott Hamilton, an Indiana clinical psychologist, said the time children spend labouring over script could be better used.
Continue reading the main story

"From an intuitive standpoint, this makes sense, based on the increasingly digital world into which this generation of children is growing up," he said.

Denna Renbarger, an education official in Lawrence Township, Indiana, said there were many more important things for students to be learning at school

"I think it's progressive of our state to be ahead on this," she told the Indianapolis Star.

Indiana officials have stressed that the standards are not exhaustive and that teachers could continue teaching handwriting if they chose.

But some parents, teachers and psychologists have reacted angrily to the move, saying there is more to handwriting than being able to write quickly.

"The fluidity of cursive allows for gains in spelling and a better tie to what they are reading and comprehending through stories and through literature," Paul Sullivan, head teacher of a school in California, told CNN.

"I think there's a firmer connection of wiring between the brain's processes of learning these skills and the actual practice of writing."

Parent Jerry Long told the Indianapolis Star he was worried about what the new system could mean for his sixth grade daughter in the future.

"I don't agree with it. How are they supposed to know how to sign their names?"


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14121541

[Long Run]

A cursive on all their houses!

[Guinevere]

Henceforth, children in Indiana will be issued a keyboard at birth.

If they can't write in script/ cursive how will they take notes?
Do high schoolers take laptops to class now?
What about the families who cannot afford them?

The typing of notes on a computer (and the hiding behind the screen) is the worst thing to happen to education/learning since the advent of the film strip.

[Crackpot]

The typing of notes on a computer (and the hiding behind the screen) is the worst thing to happen to education/learning since the advent of the film strip.

But how else would we know how to Duck and Cover?

[dales]

I dunno...

Both of my daughters learned cursive handwriting and keyboarding in California grade school (1990's).

Is this too much to expect of children in Indiana?

[Jarlaxle]

I learned it in school...haven't used it in probably 20 years, though.

[dales]

How do you sign your name?

[Sean]

Clearly...

[Miles]

How do you sign your name?

Or make a grocery list, or leave a message for someone, or in my case leave a message for myself..............

[Crackpot]

I can't read my own cursive writing half the time let alone other people. And being half indocrinated in manual drafting means my script randomly transforms between normal and ALL CAPS.

[Liberty1]

I can still sign my name obviously, but I haven't written cursive since probably 1980 when I last had a college english class. In Engineering, physics, math classes and then later in career life, you use printing only. I'm not even sure I could do it anymore.

[dales]

Weird...

Am I the only one that still sends a short note or card to friends or family?

[Guinevere]

Nope Dales, you're not. I still send notes, although not as often as I probably should. But lets face it, in the context of these kids, you and I are sadly old fashioned and out of date (they're wrong of course, but try telling them that).

I guess no one should expect thank you notes from anyone in Indiana.

[dgs49]

I have been printing virtually everything for decades. The only time when I write is when I'm writing a personal check, and I admit feeling like a ree-tard, as I puzzle over how to make all the different letters.

There were many occasions in my childhood when I had a good report card spoiled by a "d" in handwriting. In fact, there was one occasion when a teacher gave me a "c," and the Principal bawled her out in my presence for doing such a reckless thing.

Still, I can't imagine that it's too much of a teaching burden to cover this in the early years.

[Guinevere]

Good god, I spend my life writing in cursive. The only time I print is when I'm spelling out an email address (and then not always), or filling out a form (but not always). When you write as much as I do, you have to use cursive, there isn't time for print.

[Liberty1]

Am I the only one that still sends a short note or card to friends or family?

I write cards, but I print.

The only time when I write is when I'm writing a personal check, and I admit feeling like a ree-tard, as I puzzle over how to make all the different letters

Forgot, yes I do that. But there are still limited letters used. A cursive capital I or Z or X or Y or Q or W or K I can remember, are they connected or stand alone with the rest of the word

[dales]

[Liberty1]

Wow, I just had a flashback to 3rd grade

[Liberty1]

So some capitals are connected A, B, C, E and some are not C, F, O, P

[quaddriver]

cursive is going the way of latin. Good or bad I dunno, but it is. heckfire, PRINTING is going the way of latin, given that most forms are now fillable PDF or webforms and only the unreadable sig is required...(in govt we replace that with our electronic sig tied to our SEID since it is essentially hackproof)