“For decades I have been a proponent of handwriting your note. Cursive is a particular asset to your learning, creativity, and memory. Electronic devices and typing whether 8 finger typing or two fingers or thumbs is dumbing us down. Read study that supports writing.”
Mama Was Right! Study Shows Students Learn Better When They Take Handwritten Notes
by DailyHealthPost Editorial
Electronic devices have replaced manual activities and operations in a great many applications—none more so than in the context of communication of all sorts and “writing”.
Most people have come to use their cell phones, tablets, and/or laptops to send messages to others and make notes for themselves.
If you walk into a room of people in a post-elementary school or in a professional meeting, you will most likely hear a din of tap-tap-tapping of fingers on keyboards, taking notes. For many of us, the physical act of writing letters on paper with a pen or pencil has become an infrequent activity.
For those who have chosen to use electronic means to record their thoughts and important information, could it be that the old-fashioned way is somehow better? A study published by the Association for Psychological Science wanted to find an answer to this question.
Writing by Hand Enhances Learning and Retention
Researchers from Princeton University and the University of California at Los Angeles conducted three tests with university students to determine what differences there might be for the learner between taking notes on a laptop computer versus writing them by hand.
“…when laptops are used solely to take notes, they may still be impairing learning because their use results in shallower processing…whereas taking more notes can be beneficial, laptop note takers’ tendency to transcribe lectures verbatim rather than processing information and reframing it in their own words is detrimental to learning.”
The reason: writing with your hand engages the memory and cognition centers of your brain in a different way than typing.
In addition, you are more likely to write down key points as you actually process the information you hear rather than simply taking dictation because handwriting is slower than typing.
One major flaw in using a laptop for note-taking is that it often invites multi-tasking, which is distracting to the learner, impacting attention and retention.
How Handwriting Reinforces Learning
Keyboarding has increasingly become a more valued skill than handwriting and elementary schools’ curricula have changed to stress digital mastery over handwriting.
This is contradictory to a body of research that indicates writing by hand promotes literacy through its enforcement of alphabetical letter processing in the brain.
The act of physically writing letters on paper engages different senses and requires finer motor skills, resulting in motor memory in connection with learning the letters themselves and the words that they create.
The sensori-motor experience of writing by hand has a measurable effect on the brain not found when the same letters are typed. Letters are processed differently than other shapes because of their inherent meaning and role in language development.
“…the importance of sensori-motor interactions with the environment is sometimes overlooked by cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists alike. Recently, though, there has been renewed support from a variety of disciplines for the idea that sensori-motor interactions influence many cognitive operations.”
Cursive writing has especially been linked to increased creativity.
Other Advantages of Writing by Hand
We may have become used to carrying around a laptop to use whenever and wherever we need it. But consider the benefits of leaving the computer at home or on your desk at the office:
- Pen/pencil and paper are lighter than a laptop, cheaper, more flexible, don’t require electricity, and won’t break if you drop them.
- A lighter carrying case/backpack has less negative impact on posture and back strain.
- Significantly smaller carbon footprint; paper can be re-used, recycled, or burned for heat.
- Long exposure to digital screens can be detrimental to your health – use of personal electronics has been linked to decreased brain function, developmental delay in young children, obesity, sleep disruption, headaches, eye strain and even damage.
The old-fashioned way of writing may be slower but the results are better in a variety of ways. So consider the scratching of a pencil or the click of a pen rather than the tapping of the keyboard if you’re trying to learn something new.
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Mama Was Right! Study Shows Students Learn Better When They Take Handwritten Notes
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‘LOL! I do! I want my heart surgeon to have knowledge, be skilled and creative or imaginative to think outside the box to trouble shoot or problem solve on his or her feet. I want the person top of their game. I don’t want a mere mechanic; technical skill only.
I want the best of the best and that includes more than just knowledge. A point to consider. This is a blog post. Not a book or far longer discussion. Hence, there isn’t room for all the examples and counter-examples possible.
I focus on the point or the couple points I am making. There is always room for alternatives, other options and disagreement. Hey, Einstein was proven wrong, about many things, long ago. That doesn’t make his contributions any less poignant.
What Is Now Proved Was Once Only Imagined
He is not a final authority in anything but a decent contributor to the human race. His efforts and benefits way outshine mine, to say the least. I have no problem using a quote, Einstein or otherwise, if it makes a good point.
Who said it may, sometimes, be far less important than what is posited. Other times, the opposite may be the case. The point of the post is don’t stop yourself with limited thinking. Don’t stop at the known but go beyond and into new territory.
Adventure, explore and discover. Adventure, explore and discover.
There is always enough to stop us, but the courageous, the curious, the creative, the fun seekers may go further then others who quit at the obvious, or at the first sign of hardship, physical or mental. Quitting or stopping thinking doesn’t bring much about.
Stop Letting Your Thoughts Control You – You Control Them
An idea to pursue, a purpose, a passion can change the world. People who easily quit do exactly that. They quit. I don’t want my heart surgeon to give up because the problem exceeds his/her expertise. I want the person to seek other possible legitimate solutions.
I don’t want ordinary thinkers. I want open minds. BTW I love that you engage and comment. Thanks for sharing!’ Well, there you have it. My reply. You may or may not agree with me. That’s fine. I am not seeking agreement. I am hoping to provoke thought.
I am hoping we take charge of our thoughts, our minds, our emotions and behaviors and begin getting the results we want to get. There are always enough excuses and distractions to stop us. Let’s find the reasons to see it all the way through to the end and beyond.
Nothing Really Stops You – Only You Can Stop You – Stop That
Make your dreams come true. Have fun, enjoy life. Become financially free. Live with passion. Connect deeply and meaningfully with others. Find blessings in all moments. Celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes
Delight in this day!
*** We are planning some new things! Soon A Teleseminar with Rex What are your questions, what do you want to know, what would you like help with? Use the comment section to let me know. I’ll let you know when, meanwhile, please let me know what you’d like. ***
Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.
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