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We all know the pen is mightier than the sword, but is the pen mightier than a laptop? Schools have to keep up with the modern world, so as the world uses more tablets, screens and digital communication devices, our schools follow suit. That increase in using digital communication tools has been accompanied by a decrease in handwriting use. So the big question is, is handwriting important? 

In 2010, we started to see various states adjusting their academic planning to prioritize tech literacy. For many it was alarming to see a core bedrock aspect of education like handwriting put in jeopardy. This naturally led to a lot of questions and some scientific research on this change’s impact in the brain! 

A recently published article shed light on why handwriting may be very important. In this study, subjects were given a digital pen and a keyboard for communication while wearing a 256-channel sensor array EEG cap!  What does a 256-channel sensor array EEG cap do, you ask? 

Well, it’s able to observe the many neural activities that are happening when a person types and when a person writes with their hands. 

So, typing vs handwriting what were the results? 

Handwriting produced significantly more elaborate neural connectivity patterns when compared to typing. This was especially noticeable in the areas associated with memory formation and encoding new information, aka LEARNING! 

Previous research from another group of scientists also further backs up that writing by hand helps the brain retain information better. While this research did not test participants in tasks to directly test learning, the results highlight the need for further investigation.

This is a great example of how one aspect of science, technological growth, impacted an existing norm, but then research on this change’s impacts can now help fine-tune how we implement technological advancements at different stages of human development. While the results of the study are not suggesting to get rid of technology nor avoid the ever-evolving technological landscape, this research does begin to highlight that there is a time and place for both technology and handwriting in schools.

This is not the first time that we’ve gone back and forth on how we do things. With the emergence of digital communication In the 1990s and early 2000s, there was a dedicated focus to get students to be tech literate. To facilitate more desk time many schools cut recess time. As years went by, research was done on this change and it was determined that taking away recess was preventing other types of critical development in students. Using these scientific findings, many school systems have now started to put recess back into their daily schedules or are infusing physical activity and group outdoor time to their educational curriculums.