Why continue to learn to write by hand in an AI world?
The world of writing is changing. First, there were keyboards, automatic entry of words or sentences on messaging. An era of which we are already turning the page. With the rise of artificial intelligence, robots can now produce texts of a level comparable to texts written by humans, without recourse to any hand whatsoever.
With recent improvements in transcription software, even human writers can do without a keyboard, let alone a pen. And AI would even open up the possibility of generate texts by reading brain activity.
The writers of the future will be talkers and thinkers who don't need to lift a finger. The word "writer" could evolve to a very different meaning, with people composing texts in myriad ways in an increasingly digital world. So do human beings still needlearn to write by hand ?
With the pandemic, online education has grown considerably and, in different countries around the world, some important tests are now done on the computer. Voices are also raised in favor of the abandonment of cursive writing in high school. However, handwriting remains central to fundamental learning in elementary school.
Parents may wonder if it is still worth spending time on hard to learn handwriting. Wouldn't the efforts made be better invested in an introduction to coding? After all, students with disabilities are already learning to write with assistive technologies.
But there are a number of important reasons why handwriting will always – and always should – be taught in schools. Here are five.
Writing develops fine motor skills
Handwriting develops the motor skills and coordination needed to control precise movements, daily essentials, whether at school or later in the professional sphere.
The improvement of these motor skills results in increasingly readable and fluent writing. We don't know where technology will take us, but it may take us back to the past.
Handwriting could be more important than ever if tests and exams return to handwriting to prevent the use of generative AI and cheating.
Writing by hand makes memorization easier
Handwriting has significant cognitive benefits, especially for memory. Research suggests that notes taken with a pen are better remembered than those taken on a computer, due to the greater complexity of the handwriting process.
Learning to read and write is intimately linked. Students become better readers by practicing writing.
A tool for graphic design
Handwriting and related activities such as drawing can be sources of creativity and well-being at any age.
The popularity of practices such as holding a personal diary and calligraphy is proof of that. There are many online communities where writers share great examples of graphic design.
Great flexibility of use
Handwriting requires no electricity or devices, batteries, software, subscriptions, internet connection, loading times – and all those other things that digital writing depends on.
It only requires a pen and paper. And it can be done anywhere.
Sometimes, for writing a birthday card, filling out printed forms, or writing a quick note, it's the easiest and best solution.
Writing as a medium for reflection
More importantly, learning to write and to think are intimately linked. Ideas are formed as students write. They are developed and organized throughout the composition. This is something that cannot be delegated to robots!
Teaching writing involves giving students a toolkit of multiple writing strategies to enable them to realize their potential as thoughtful, creative, and skilled communicators. And handwriting will remain an important part of that toolkit for the foreseeable future, despite the amazing advances in generative AI.
Perfection of spelling may become less important in the future. But students will still need to be able to handwrite legibly and fluently as part of their studies and daily lives.
Lucinda McKnight, Senior Lecturer in Pedagogy and Curriculum, Deakin University et Mary Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University
This article is republished from The Conversation under Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.
