In defense of cursive
An article in Newsweek magazine suggests that learning good, old-fashioned penmanship is still a necessity in the age of text messaging and computers and laments the declining instruction time it has been given in the classroom. (I think it struck a chord with me because lately I have been trying to help my 4-year-old learn to write legible letters on her list for Santa and I see how hard she has to concentrate.)
Anyway, here's the premise of the article:
Handwriting is important because research shows that when children are taught how to do it, they are also being taught how to learn and how to express themselves. A new study to be released this month by Vanderbilt University professor Steve Graham finds that a majority of primary-school teachers believe that students with fluent handwriting produced written assignments that were superior in quantity and quality and resulted in higher grades—aside from being easier to read. The College Board recognized this in 2005 when it added a handwritten essay to the SAT—an effort to reverse the de-emphasis on handwriting and composition that may be adversely affecting children's learning all the way through high school and beyond.