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Computers vs Hand Written  

Why don’t Primary School children use computers all the time in class?

This is a very sensible question since computers are an indispensable part of modern life.  We see computers being used at our local Foodland checkout, and by farmers working during Seeding to put crops in. Why doesn’t school mirror society, and let students work from computers exclusively, if the world is so dependent upon them?

Well, there is respected, detailed research from Princeton University, to indicate that “Writing by hand encourages positivity and improves creativity, comprehension and information recall.” These researchers found that students who hand-wrote notes outperformed exclusive computer users. How exciting, that by teaching students to develop and use their handwriting means that they will be more creative when thinking and composing new work. These same students will also have greater understanding and insight  into information that they have written by pen rather that with a keyboard. A better ability to recall and accurately remember facts also is an outcome of handwriting.

So what might have appeared as an old-fashioned approach, using handwriting, is in fact a means of benefiting students greatly, and is supported by the most recent research. Rest assured that at Saint Columba’s Memorial School, all staff work consistently to provide the very best educational approach for your child, based on sound research.

Why don’t students use computers exclusively in class?  The answer is, we have found a much better way to move forward. We will be using computers certainly, as the modern world requires, but we continue to develop your child’s ability to write by hand, because we want all the advantages that writing brings.

Regards,

Mandy Thompson, Literacy Coach.