Penmanship is a teaching method where writing with hand involves the use of writing tools or instrument. It was the historical formal writing style of writing. The individual’s penmanship style is known as the handwriting. Cursive is also a type of writing style using hand. It is known as joint writing, script, or running writing. In cursive, the language symbol involved is written in a flowing or a conjoined manner. Its aim is to make the writing faster. The method of cursive is related with practical advantages of high speed writing(Richard, 2004).
Teachers should still teach penmanship and cursive writing techniques because of various advantages and reasons discussed below. In real sense handwriting is an invaluable skill and if not taught in school and colleges, the art of handwriting will be lost in near future. The analysis shows that old fashion of writing is still attractive to most people. The handwriting technique is still helpful due to the following reasons.
Penmanship is better for learning. This is because, to effectively study and retain information and new ideas, it is important to rewrite the notes by hand on such new concept. In penmanship, putting information down through handwriting stimulates the brain part called reticular activating center which enhances understanding of new information. The part of the brain filters everything the brain needs for processing, providing importance to the information that one is actively studying at that moment. This is only achievable through handwriting. It is also true that brain in learning process lit up more if the words are handwritten than just studying the words without putting the down (Richard, 2004).
Penmanship makes one a good writer. Just like many writers, a meticulousness of writing is opted for over the use of a computer or a typewriter. This is because, in handwriting, the speed and accuracy of the writing the sentences are high. The handwritten sentences are most likely to be complete compared to use of key board typing(Olsen & Jan, 2013).
When student or the pupil is handwriting, it is easy for the person to avoid distraction. The use of other techniques for writing like computer has distractors like Facebook, movies and music. The act of writing also engages the motor skills which improve brain sharpness of an individual.
Some writes find it easier to input information by use of hand than the keyboard. This is because the writing instrument does not require large space. The study of handwriting shows that it improves writer’s ability, character and personality in speaking and written according to graphemics. The act of forming words and constructing symbols and sentences on the paper improves the ability to remember information. Information and facts are easy to memorize when written by hand. The ease of brain storage and retrieval of handwritten information is another advantage of penmanship(Olsen & Jan, 2013).
The advantages of cursive are beyond writing. Putting information down using a pen stimulates brain. Writing in cursive improves development of brain in the areas of language, thinking and working memory. When compared to typing and printing, cursive handwritten enhances stimulation of brain synchronicity and synapses. The act of physical writing in cursive increases participation and comprehension of information(Richard, 2004).
The efficiency and speed of cursive writing allows the pupil and student to focus on the information’s content. Cursive provides basic foundation of skills like spelling and handwriting that improves content development. Moreover cursive is vital to assisting pupils and students to master, and understand the standards of writing expression. Most people are cursively illiterate and therefore learning cursive improves the ability to write and read cursive. As compared to printing and typing, cursive style is the fastest technique. Cursive increases ease of learning. Printing and typing is difficult due to the start and stop motion in forming letters(Richard, 2004).
Cursive improves spelling and reading ability of the students. In cursive, writing is done from left to right to form proper sequence thus it is easy to read the information. The connectivity of the written letters in cursive helps in correct spelling of the words. Thus the hand knowledge and skill of spelling pattern is easily acquired through cursive (Olsen & Jan, 2013).
Cursive handwriting enhances hand-eye coordination and development of motor skills that are essential in learning. It also improves the legibility, fluidity, and attractiveness of writings. This increases self-confidence in writing. Cursive enhancesconnection of neural that improves mental effectiveness in understanding that printing and typing cannot. In addition, fluidity and continuity of written communication is improved through cursive. Connection of letters in cursive increases attention and speed during writing thus encouraging the amount of writing (Olsen &Jan, 2013).
Even though there are various advantages associate with penmanship and cursive, there are also demerits of the two writing methods. The storage of data requires large space. In most cases, handwriting notes require longer time than electronic devices. Handwritten notes are less legible compared to notes typed on a computer. When in class, one can risk missing point because of laborious effort during writing (Richard, 2004).
References
Olsen, Jan Z, and Emily F. Knapton. Kindergarten Teacher's Guide: Guide to Multisensory Lessons and Activities for Letters and Numbers for Me. Cabin John, MD: Handwriting Without tears, 2013.
Richard, J C. O. X. "Back to Basics: Speaking, Writing, Reading and Records." Records & Information Management Report, 2004.
