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According to new findings in brain science, writing by hand can improve learning and memory in children. At the same time, schools are becoming more and more digitization oriented.
Professor Audrey Van der Meer, from NTNU, believes that national guidelines should be developed to ensure that children receive at least a minimum level of handwriting training.
The results of several studies have shown that both children and adults perform better in learning and memory when they write by hand.
Now, another study has confirmed that learning and memory are best achieved by choosing to write by hand instead of using a keyboard.
She and her colleagues conducted two surveys, first in 2017 and the second conducted this year.
Both studies used electroencephalography to track and record brainwave activities. Participants wore hoods with more than 250 electrodes on their heads.
Electrical impulses are generated when the brain is active. Sensors in the electrodes are sensitive enough to record electrical activity in the brain.
The results showed that the brains of young people and children were much more active when they were writing by hand than when they were using a keyboard.
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“Using pen and paper allows the brain to create more ‘hooks’ to hold onto memories. Writing by hand creates more activity in the sensorimotor part of the brain. You can get a lot of sensation by pressing the pen on the paper. The letters you write and the sounds you hear when you write, these sensory experiences create connections between different parts of the brain and explore more brain functions. Then, we learn better and remember better.”
Today's reality is that keyboards and touch screens are an important part of children's and teenagers' daily lives.
According to a survey of 19 countries in the European Union, children and teenagers in Norway spend the most time online. Smartphones have always been the closest companion, followed by computers and tablets. Norwegian children between the ages of 9 and 16 spend nearly four hours a day online, which is twice as much as in 2010.
Van der Meer believes there are many positive aspects on digital learning, but she calls for universal handwriting training.
“Given developments in recent years, we risk losing the ability to write by hand for a generation or generations. Our research and others show that the increase in digital life will bring very unfortunate consequences.”
She believes there should be national guidelines to ensure that children receive at least the necessary handwriting training.
Van der Meer says, “Some schools in Norway have become completely digitalization, ignoring handwriting totally. Finland's schools are more digital than the schools in Norway. Very few schools offer any handwriting training.”
Learning to write by hand is a slow process, but it is important for children to go through the fatigue of learning to write by hand. Complex hand movements and letter shapes are beneficial in many aspects. If people use the keyboard, you will use the same action to complete every letter. Handwriting requires control of your fine motor and sensory skills. It is important to keep your brain learning as much as possible.
“The brain has evolved over thousands of years. To develop the brain in the best possible ways, we need to make the best of it wherever it is best at. We need to use all our senses to live a meaningful life. If we do not challenge the brain, it won't maximize its multiple potential.”
