Handwriting is an anachronism, according to some. Finland and many American states have now dropped it from the curriculum. But many psychologists believe cursive writing still has an important role to play in cognitive development. So what’s the truth? We value the written word. Civilised societies do. It’s one of the defining features of human advancement. And yet the concept of the written word has increasingly become detached from the original mechanics of writing—as the quill gave way to the pen, so the pen acquiesced to the keyboard, and the keyboard in turn to the touch screen. Many of us—probably most of us—no longer scrawl our way through life with the end of an ink-filled plastic stick. Instead, we finger and thumb our thoughts, greetings and other forms of communication. See full article (PDF) by Antony Funnell.
