THE INTERCONNECTIVITY OF WRITING AND READING
KRISTEL A. PANGILINAN
Recent research has psychiatrists and neuroscientists asserting now that writing by hand lets children read more quickly and communicate more expr essi vel y.
This is because computers, PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones are leading the young to be parted from the womb than from the electronic extensions of their identity.
But Maria Konnikova of The New York Times reported that a study of children in grades two through five showed that those who composed text by hand produced more words and ideas than those typing on a keyboard and enhanced their reading capabilities and comprehension.
The study emphasized that in brain imaging, those with better handwriting showed greater activation of neural activity in areas associated with reading, writing and memory.
Other studies showed that, over tracing and printing letters, cursive writing has an edge, such as training self-control. This is food for thought for parents whose five- or six-year-olds are quicker than their elders to swipe and activate their personal tablets as soon as they are seated.
According to Konnikova, perfecting the art of penmanship in childhood benefits the adult’s skills in reading comprehension, encoding, reflection and memory. The link between handwriting and reading in the learning process was noted to help a student think better.
The scientific link between penmanship and reading is even more significant for public school students. While the situation sorely tests the students’endurance, not to mention legibility, the exercise with paper and pencil prepares them for a principle proven in laboratories and classrooms: writing by hand helps a person process a lecture and reframe it in his or her words and be able to communicate effectively by reading what he or she has written.
With focus currently on preserving the art of writing by hand and establishing the basics of reading, the two essential components of English instruction become interconnected to enhance the learning process for students, starting at the elementary level.