Signing off: Finnish schools phase out
handwriting classes
A Joined-up writing
lessons dropped in favour of keyboard skills, in recognition of changing
methods of communication. Finland
is one of the first countries to stop making cursive handwriting classes
compulsory, as keyboard skills are seen as more useful.
B
Schools in Finland
are phasing out cursive handwriting
classes in favour of keyboard skills, as officials accept that texting,
tapping and tweeting have taken over as the primary means of communication
in the modern age. “We used to do joined-up writing so that we could write
faster, but these days kids only start learning it in grade two (aged eight)
and have a year to get it right before moving on to concentrating on what they
write, rather than simply how they write it,” said Minna Harmanen of Finland’s
National Board of Education. “They don’t have time to become fast at cursive
writing, so it’s not useful for them.”
C
Joined-up writing has also become more difficult since Finns
introduced new ways of writing their letters in 1986: “We moved from the old
Swedish-derived handwriting style to a more modern one and now a few letters
look very similar to each other in joined-up writing,” explained Harmanen.
“It’s not easy for children to write – or for teachers to read. When they write
in print, it’s clearer.” From 2016, pupils will be taught only print
handwriting and will spend more time learning keyboard skills – “something
we recognize is very important for the job market,” said Harmanen. Finland
is one of the first countries to stop making cursive handwriting classes
compulsory, but the change is part of a global move away from handwritten
documents towards digital communication. A recent British survey found a third
of respondents had not written anything “properly” by hand in the
previous six months and in the US,
many states have removed cursive writing classes from the curriculum.
D
Some neuroscientists stress the importance of cursive
handwriting for improving brain development, motor skills, self-control and
even dyslexia. In Finland,
there’s been little response to the proposed scrapping. “We’ve hardly had any comments about the move from
parents,” says Harmanen, “a few of the grandparents were upset, but everyone
else seems fine.”
E
Harmanen says the change will help pupils thrive in school and beyond, adding:
“The age-old problem of not being able to read a doctor’s handwriting will no
longer be an issue in the Finland
of the future.”
Adjusted to
(1)
joined-up – psací (písmo)
phase out – stáhnout, postupně zrušit
scrap – zrušit
thrive – prospívat, dařit
1) Read the article and match each of the headings to
a paragraph.
1 Harmanen’s talking about joined-up
writing
2 The change will help not
only in school
3 The Finnish agree with the change
4 Joined-up writing isn’t popular anymore
5 Print handwriting will only be taught
2) Read the article and answer the questions.
1 What type of writing will be used? Why?
2 What was the previous type of writing?
3 What are its positives and negatives?
4 What did British survey find
out?
5 What was the reaction of Finnish people like?
3) Explain the following words and phrases.
1 writing lessons dropped in favour of
keyboard skills
2 texting, tapping and tweeting
3 print handwriting
4 stop
making cursive handwriting classes compulsory
5 written “properly” by hand
4) Answer the following questions.
How
are children in the Czech
Republic taught to write? What is Comenia Script? How is writing Comenia
Script taught in schools? What is the difference between joined-up writing and
Comenia Script?
Video:
Tips, sources of information:
Source:
(1)
RUSSEL,
Helen. Signing off: Finnish schools phase out handwriting classes. The
Guardian [online]. 2015 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/finnish-schools-phase-out-handwriting-classes-keyboard-skills-finland
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