Handwriting: should it be taught in schools & mandatory for exams?

[Native lad]

Good luck with that.

 

...You need to gain permission from everyone in the room to record and then submit to the tutor that the information will not be transmitted or reproduced. It is a formal process.

 

I know of people that were using dictaphones in class as long ago as 1994, and more people that have done so in recent times. People have even recorded me, without my permission. Do I care? Of course not, so long as my words are not edited and quoted out of context. Of course, even if I had granted permission subject to terms and conditions, there would have been no guarantee that my words would not have been quoted out of context at some stage.

 

So, I chose to be a man and accept the world as it is. Perhaps others should do likewise.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Native lad

[Anna B]

Beware trusting in machines. Writing is one of mankind's greatest achievements. It will always be taught and used.

[Guest]

I think that signatures on documentation should legible by law. These modern art squiggles people do are laughable.

[Native lad]

Things appear to have drifted somewhat from addressing the questions posed in the title to this thread. So far, nobody has attempted to answer the questions asked.

 

Please feel free to grow a spine and stick your neck out. I promise not to chop it off.

[Guest]

I know of people that were using dictaphones in class as long ago as 1994

 

I've never used a Dictaphone. I've always used my finger.

[Native lad]

Mmm...You sound like the kind of guy that likes to "bone" his fish.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Native lad

[L00b]

The title to this thread does not assume or imply that handwriting is not taught in schools.

The title to this thread is "Handwriting: should it be taught in schools & mandatory for exams?".

 

If the bit in bold does not imply that "handwriting is not taught in schools", I don't know what does

 

As regards the question of making handwriting "mandatory for examination", you claim to have studied a lot, but if you have any familiarity with formal examinations (from SATS 1 & 2 in primary all the way up to written exams in tertiary education, and as opposed to any component of typed coursework that forms part of the grade assessment), all still require the sitters to handwrite their answers.

 

I'm not aware of any formal examination procedure which allows or provides dictaphones and/or computers configured with voice-to-text software, but please enlighten me if you do.

 

In that context, Halibut's post was bang on the money in that many (most?) written exams require sitters to write down a significant amount of information within a finite time (usually too short, but for the best time managers out there). Legibility doesn't get you marks (unless perhaps in early/primary examinations), only correct answers do. But illegibility can take marks away (most exam instruction sheets that I've ever seen clearly ask the sitter to write answers legibly), so there is always a legibility minima: if the invigilator/marker can't read the answer, he/she can't mark it, that's basic common sense.

 

FWIW I have used (for years) and still use a dictaphone daily (professionally), voice-to-text software and have sat down more written exams that you can shake a stick, lastly 3 years ago (European Qualifying Examination of the European Patent Office, 4 papers (3h, 3.5h, 5h, 6h) over 2 days, a pass answer for each of which requires 22+ handwritten pages on average).

Edited April 29, 2015 by L00b

[Anna B]

The title to this thread is "Handwriting: should it be taught in schools & mandatory for exams?".

 

If the bit in bold does not imply that "handwriting is not taught in schools", I don't know what does

 

As regards the question of making handwriting "mandatory for examination", you claim to have studied a lot, but if you have any familiarity with formal examinations (from SATS 1 & 2 in primary all the way up to written exams in tertiary education, and as opposed to any component of typed coursework that forms part of the grade assessment), all still require the sitters to handwrite their answers.

 

I'm not aware of any formal examination procedure which allows or provides dictaphones and/or computers configured with voice-to-text software, but please enlighten me if you do.

 

In that context, Halibut's post was bang on the money in that many (most?) written exams require sitters to write down a significant amount of information within a finite time (usually too short, but for the best time managers out there). Legibility doesn't get you marks (unless perhaps in early/primary examinations), correct answers do.

 

FWIW I have used (for years) and still use a dictaphone daily (professionally), voice-to-text software and have sat down more written exams that you can shake a stick, lastly 3 years ago (European Qualifying Examination of the European Patent Office, 4 papers (3h, 3.5h, 5h, 6h) over 2 days, a pass answer for each of which requires 22+ handwritten pages on average).

 

Regarding exams, what worries me is the use of multiple choice exam questions, which are used simply because they can be machine marked.

 

Back on topic, kids are still taught handwriting in school. Basically reading and writing go together, you can't teach one without the other.

[Native lad]

L00b & Anna B,

 

Please read the initial posting on this thread, in order to gain a better understanding of what is being asked in the title to this thread. The same goes for everyone else.

Edited April 29, 2015 by Native lad

[L00b]

L00b & Anna B,

 

Please read the initial posting on this thread, in order to gain a better understanding of what is being asked in the title to this thread. The same goes for everyone else.

Don't know about Anna B, but I can't make you phrase and type your thread titles for you: the fact that your opening post (should handwriting become optional tuition subject-matter) does not correspond semantically to the question of your title (should schools teach handwriting and should exams mandatorily require handwritten answers), and therefore invites posters' comments about both topics, lies entirely at your feet, I'm afraid.

 

Nothing off-topic so far that I can see (and both Halibut and Anna B have already answered your specific question anyway: you can't not teach handwriting at school, if pupils are going to learn to read at all)

 

If you don't like the answers, phrase your questions better