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Three Areas to Think About When Discussing the Evolution of how we Write...

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Three Areas to Think About When Discussing the Evolution of how we Write...

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1. Cursive Handwriting
2. Keyboarding
3. Modern Word Processing

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Cursive handwriting was first introduced to schools in the United States during the 1700s. During the Colonial period, mastering cursive was considered to be a highly-acclaimed art form that promoted skill and quality. In its earliest days, writing in cursive consisted of using lead plummets to write on lined paper made from the bark of birch trees in order to reduce the high cost of goods needed for practicing handwriting.

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Cursive: Various Methods Taught in the United States. 

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Cursive: Various Methods Taught in the United States. 

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In the period expanding from the 1850s to around the 1920s, American students were required to write cursive using the Spencerian method. However, around the 1880s, the Palmer Method of cursive writing was invented and it gradually became the standard method of teaching cursive handwriting in American schools.

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School districts still required to teach students cursive writing primarily use what is known as the Zaner-Bloser Method. Developed in Columbus, Ohio in 1904, The Zaner-Bloser method to teaching elementary students to write in cursive was introduced. By the 1950s, Zaner-Bloser cursive became the preferred method for learning how to write in cursive, and ultimately this method would soon replace the Palmer Method. Below, is a worksheet containing letters written using Zaner-Bloser Cursive--a method that most of us were familiar with during elementary school.

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Replacing Cursive: Statistics of Usage and Elimination

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Replacing Cursive: Statistics of Usage and Elimination

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As our world continues to delve further into the digital revolution, the debate over whether or not to continue teaching cursive in American schools has become a prominent and crucial issue in elementary schools. According to the Washington Post, it is approximated that common core standards in 45 states no longer require teaching cursive, and instead, "leave it up to the individual states and districts to decide whether they want to teach it."

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Ohio Common Core Standards do not require cursive to be taught. However, in February of 2017, members of the Ohio House of Representatives proposed a bill that would require cursive to be taught. It reads: "Handwriting instruction in Kindergarten through fifth grade to ensure that students develop the ability to print letters and words legibly by third grade and to create readable documents using legible cursive handwriting by the end of fifth grade."

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Keyboarding and Word Processing Takes Over

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Keyboarding and Word Processing Takes Over

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Integrating Keyboarding in American Schools

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Integrating Keyboarding in American Schools

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The importance of keyboarding in American elementary schools gained prominence soon after World War II and would continue to be a beneficial tool used to help students learn how to practice an effective composing process. Integrating the instruction of keyboarding allowed for students to maintain linear sentences formats and to promote effective revision regarding grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

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When the first typewriter appeared on the American market in 1874, the QWERTY keyboard was introduced and it would change the way we write for centuries and beyond. An overhead view of one of the first QWERTY keyboard appears below.

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Introduced in 1936 was the Dvorak keyboard. Its inventor, August Dvorak, created this model with the intention to increase typing speed, accuracy, and to create layout that would allow typists to easily create digraphs.

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Integrating Keyboards in American Schools

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Integrating Keyboards in American Schools

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Most elementary schools today begin teaching students how to type using various keyboarding software programs such as:
-Big Brown Bear
-KidzType
-Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing
-Jump Start Typing

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Cons:
-Researchers for the National Council of Teachers of English believe that keyboarding will "undue focus on fine motor skills during composing or as a prerequisite to composing runs counter to whole language philosophy, distracting children's attention  from making meaning."
- Touch-typing in elementary schools primarily consist of drills only focusing on the breakdown of syllables.
-Keyboarding software often glorifies and overly encourages speed and frequency, increasing the likelihood of student erros.

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Pros:
-Introduces children to keyboarding skills needed for modern writing programs such as Microsoft Word.
-Serves as a time management tool for educators teaching writing instruction.
-Provides ergonomic benefits and reduces hand strain in young learners.

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Word Processing Feature: How it Changes English and Writing

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Word Processing Feature: How it Changes English and Writing

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Word Processing: Spell Check and Auto-Correct

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Word Processing: Spell Check and Auto-Correct

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Spell Check is, perhaps, the most common tool used in composition. Spell-check, as well as various Auto-Correct applications, are used to identify incorrect spellings and suggestions for alternative spellings. Unless disabled, students often rely on Spell-Check when writing.

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Word Processing: Spell-Check and Auto-Correct

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Word Processing: Spell-Check and Auto-Correct

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Although these applications provide aid for misspellings, they do not enforce students to check their own work and to properly learn how to spell. These applications also offer lists of suggestions for student errors that commonly contain options not in agreement with standard spelling and grammar conventions.

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-Much like Auto-Correct, word processing features often automatically capitalize words at the beginning of sentences. If we forget to capitalize certain words requiring a capital letter, Auto-Correct will likely fix the error without the typist being aware of the change.
- This feature, however, does increase the likelihood of improper capitalization being used for words that may or may not require capitalization.

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Word Processing: Punctuation and Grammar Factors

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Word Processing: Punctuation and Grammar Factors

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-Of course, Auto-Correct has the capability to alter punctuation and grammar as well.
-Writing with word processing programs detect and alert the writer of punctuation errors by highlighting where the error has occurred. This often prompts students to simply rely on the program to fix the error for them without having to observe why their error is incorrect.
-Features found within word processing tools aid in pinpointing sentences where tense and word order are not in agreement.

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Word Processing: Structuring Compositions 

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Word Processing: Structuring Compositions 

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-Tools included in word processing programs provide students with already formatted options for indentation, margin measurements, sentence formatting, and even choice of font.
-Students tend to be less mindful of proper spacing between words since these programs allow for the spacebar to do this with just a single press of a button.
-Researchers from Colorado State University's English department insist that these formatting features help aid students during the revision process, as well as creating proper and professional constructions, especially with ESL students:
"An instructor can ask students to change active verbs to boldface, highlight
passive constructions in italics, use larger fonts for descriptive words,
underline the thesis statement, or select particular font colors for topic
sentences in each paragraph."

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- Microsoft Word
- Apple Pages
- OpenOffice
- Google Docs
-WordPerfect

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Pros:
- Helps alleviate reading and writing challenges for students with intellectual       disabilities such as dyslexia and dysgraphia
- Establishes essential fine motor and cognitive skills
- Supports and enhances memory function and retention
- Avoids technological errors and outdated software features

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Cons:
- Researchers from the University of Stavanger and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology claim, "increased use of keyboards and exposure to single font scripts may have as a consequence that children develop more restricted symbol categories, whereas handwriting practice gives children valuable experience in seeing variable exemplars of a letter, and training in the identification of invariant features."
- Cursive writing instruction is a time consuming process, whereas keyboarding instruction helps aid in time constraints faced by teachers
-Students who may struggle with handwriting, specifically, benefit more from keyboarding. In a study conducted by the American Occupational Therapy Association, researchers suggest that "keyboarding may indeed be an alternative writing mode for students with handwriting difficulties."
-Students tend to be more motivated to use keyboarding and word processing software as opposed to traditional handwriting methods

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As evidenced by this presentation, it is easy to visualize how our writing system evolves and affects how we utilize our language. Although there is a considerable amount of research lending support to schools wishing to keep cursive handwriting instruction in their curriculum, the digital revolution appears to be eclipsing this practice. Throughout the semester, we studied several writing techniques from Old and Middle English, such as the use of minims and runic carvings. We know that these practices certainly affected how we once read, wrote, and even pronounced the English language. However, as we have witnessed, these techniques were superseded by modern practices using ink-based writing utensils and printing. So, is there a chance that cursive writing will join these outdated practices as a result of being replaced with keyboarding and word processing? If we consider the fact that the English language is continually changing, it is quite possible to assume that cursive handwriting also has the potential to be an element we only read about in our history books.

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1. How do you feel about the removal of cursive writing instruction from the curriculum in American elementary schools? Do you think cursive writing will be considered a "dead" practice when considering its place in the future of the English language?
2. Are there instances where you find yourself using modern writing practices such as Spell-Check and Auto-Correct? Do you find that these features are making us mindless, or even lazy in terms of how we use our language? Why or why not?
3. Do you prefer to write with pen/pencil and paper, or do you prefer to type instead? If you prefer to write with pen/pencil and paper, do you ever write using cursive? In what ways does your preferred method of writing benefit you?

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Access to my bibliography is provided in the link (pink) below.