05-09-2013 09:55 AM - edited 05-09-2013 09:58 AM
An Interesting Breakfast Radio Show with Sami and Yumi this morning.
Amongst other things discussed, this topic came up:
"A single sentence, uttered in the trial of George Zimmerman for the shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin, has catapulted an issue into the national spotlight.
When asked if she could read a letter in court, witness Rachel Jeantel, her head bowed, murmured with embarrassment, "I don't read cursive," ABC News reports."
The recently established Common Core State Standards, the standardized educational benchmarks for U.S. public schools, omit cursive as a requirement. Some states, including Indiana and Hawaii, had dropped cursive from their curricula in favor of keyboard proficiency as early as 2011.
A single sentence, uttered in the trial of George Zimmerman for the shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin, has catapulted an issue into the national spotlight.
When asked if she could read a letter in court, witness Rachel Jeantel, her head bowed, murmured with embarrassment, "I don't read cursive," ABC News reports.
Is it any surprise that cursive — the looped, curvaceous style of handwriting that's been a mainstay of education for generations — is all but dead? [15 Weird Things We Do Everyday, and Why]
"Cursive should be allowed to die. In fact, it's already dying, despite having been taught for decades," Morgan Polikoff, assistant professor of education at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education, told The New York Times.
"Very small proportions of adults use cursive for their day-to-day writing," Polikoff said. "Much of our communication is done on a keyboard, and the rest is done with print."
Click Here To Read Full Article
I must admit, I don't cursive write anymore my handwriting has degenerated since using the keyboard. When writing by hand, I print.
Yumi says her 9 and 11yo had just learned to print when they had to start all over again to learn cursive.
Sami says if she had kids she'd want them taught cursive writing. Of 5 callers, 3 were adamant they'd want their children to learn cursive writing. The other 2, one them a teacher said no, it's never used in real life, it's taken over by computer writing the same as we use calculator to do our maths with. The other, a child developmental practioner, said children needed cursive writing lessons to help hand-eye co-ordination.
It seems that we are regressing with the education of our children. Over 200 years we battled for public education for every child to be taught to read, write and do basic arithmetic.
I think the socially disadvantaged will become even more so if these basic skills are no longer taught in the public education system.
Technology can fail, but basic learned skills are with you a lifetime.
on 05-09-2013 10:07 AM
Technology can fail, but basic learned skills are with you a lifetime.
I agree icy. In my working life, in finance and bookkeeping areas, because I had learned basic accounting at school and understand ledgers and debits and credits etc, I had a fair idea what the result should be when I entered data into accounting packages and could recognise pretty quickly when an error had been made. Others, generally younger people of the computer age, would just bligthly enter debits that should be credits and such like and have no idea what had gone wrong and why they were getting the results they were or even that what they were getting was wrong.
There's a lot to be said for understanding the basics of the calculations going on behind your MYOB's or spreadsheets etc
on 05-09-2013 10:20 AM
on 05-09-2013 10:26 AM
@lurker17260 wrote:Technology can fail, but basic learned skills are with you a lifetime.
I agree icy. In my working life, in finance and bookkeeping areas, because I had learned basic accounting at school and understand ledgers and debits and credits etc, I had a fair idea what the result should be when I entered data into accounting packages and could recognise pretty quickly when an error had been made. Others, generally younger people of the computer age, would just bligthly enter debits that should be credits and such like and have no idea what had gone wrong and why they were getting the results they were or even that what they were getting was wrong.
There's a lot to be said for understanding the basics of the calculations going on behind your MYOB's or spreadsheets etc
Agree's wholeheartedly!
I can't see why it makes a difference if you print or use cursive, but the skill level for mental maths is horrible! Kids can't even give change without a cash register telling them how much to give, or add up a few grocery items to know if they are in budget etc...
When my eldest was in grade 9, he had to do some algebra test and use an Fx82 calculator (calculator skills are actually a part of the curriculum!). He didn't use calculators at all (mainly because he keeps losing them), so didn't on this test.
He got all of the answers correct in 20 minutes (they were allowed 40). His teacher failed him. She then called me up to the school horrified that my kid was failing Math. When I pointed out that he could do math, he had gotten every sum correct, her reply was "if he can't use a calculator he will never be able to do calculus"... I responded that Isaac Newton invented calculus and all he had was an abacus.
OK, I had the luxury of knowing that my kid could already do calculus and higher orders, so I wasn't concerned, but other parents wouldn't know if they were told the same thing. I was made to buy him another calculator or he wasn't allowed to continue taking that Math Class. Once he moved onto yr 11 and 12 Math C, the calculators were over $200 each.
After 3 weeks at uni, he was credited with all 4 years of his math classes for his degree. He still doesn't use a calculator.
It's the same for Middle Crikey, he doesn't need the calculator, but they make him use one anyway.... Roll on university....
A calculator is a crutch and actually slows down the speed at which computations can be produced and rob the brain the opportunity to practise and strengthen neural pathways.
on 05-09-2013 10:27 AM
A 18 YO told me he didn't know what I was talking about when I told him about cursive writing, they are not taught it in schools.
as for maths I can add and do percentages in my head quicker than the kids can do them with a calulator, the current education systyem has a lot to answer for.
on 05-09-2013 10:39 AM
@the_hawk* wrote:A 18 YO told me he didn't know what I was talking about when I told him about cursive writing, they are not taught it in schools.
as for maths I can add and do percentages in my head quicker than the kids can do them with a calulator, the current education systyem has a lot to answer for.
yes it does
on 05-09-2013 10:50 AM
@the_hawk* wrote:A 18 YO told me he didn't know what I was talking about when I told him about cursive writing, they are not taught it in schools.
A modern version of cursive writing (much easier and more efficient) is taught in Qld schools, and has been for about 20 years.
on 05-09-2013 11:01 AM
crikey*mate wrote
He got all of the answers correct in 20 minutes (they were allowed 40). His teacher failed him. She then called me up to the school horrified that my kid was failing Math. When I pointed out that he could do math, he had gotten every sum correct, her reply was "if he can't use a calculator he will never be able to do calculus"... I responded that Isaac Newton invented calculus and all he had was an abacus.
She failed him because he didn't use a calculator even though he got all the answers right? OMG!
on 05-09-2013 12:21 PM
@the_hawk* wrote:A 18 YO told me he didn't know what I was talking about when I told him about cursive writing, they are not taught it in schools.
as for maths I can add and do percentages in my head quicker than the kids can do them with a calulator, the current education systyem has a lot to answer for.
I'd rather kids at school learnt a good understanding of maths than waste time on cursive. Most cursive is hard to read anyway. Understanding maths and killing the myth that it's something to be feared is far more beneficial.
on 05-09-2013 12:30 PM
@freakiness wrote:
@the_hawk* wrote:A 18 YO told me he didn't know what I was talking about when I told him about cursive writing, they are not taught it in schools.
as for maths I can add and do percentages in my head quicker than the kids can do them with a calulator, the current education systyem has a lot to answer for.
I'd rather kids at school learnt a good understanding of maths than waste time on cursive. Most cursive is hard to read anyway. Understanding maths and killing the myth that it's something to be feared is far more beneficial.
That makes two of us then, maths, science and things like wood work and metal work were my strong subjects.
But I do feel its a shame that many kids dont even know what it is let alone read it.
English and writing were never a strong subject for me as most here can tell, I always failed them