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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