Writing By Hand Better for Memory & Learning; Brain Activity: Scientific American 🖊
Feb. 21, 2024. Scientific American. - Edited.
- Engaging the fine motor system to produce letters by hand has positive effects on learning and memory. 💻
Handwriting notes in class might seem like an anachronism as smartphones and other digital technology subsume every aspect of learning across schools and universities. But a steady stream of research continues to suggest that taking notes the traditional waywith pen and paper or even stylus and tabletis still the best way to learn, especially for young children. And now scientists are finally zeroing in on why.
A recent study in Frontiers in Psychology monitored brain activity in students taking notes and found that those writing by hand had higher levels of electrical activity across a wide range of interconnected brain regions responsible for movement, vision, sensory processing and memory. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that has many experts speaking up about the importance of teaching children to handwrite words and draw pictures. The new research, by Audrey van der Meer and Ruud van der Weel at Norway's NTNU, builds on a foundational 2014 study.
That work suggested that people taking notes by computer were typing without thinking, says van der Meer, a professor of neuropsychology.
Its very tempting to type down everything that the lecturer is saying, she says. It kind of goes in through your ears and comes out through your fingertips, but you dont process the incoming information. But when taking notes by hand, its often impossible to write everything down; students have to actively pay attention to the incoming information and process itprioritize it, consolidate it and try to relate it to things theyve learned before.
This conscious action of building onto existing knowledge can make it easier to stay engaged and grasp new concepts. To understand specific brain activity differences during the 3 note-taking approaches, the NTNU researchers sewed electrodes into a hairnet with 256 sensors that recorded the brain activity of 36 students as they wrote or typed 15 words.. When students wrote the words by hand, the sensors picked up widespread connectivity across many brain regions. Typing, however, led to minimal activity, if any, in the same areas...
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-writing-by-hand-is-better-for-memory-and-learning/
raging moderate
(4,306 posts)I have a mild dyslexia problem. I always had unpredictable memory lapses on tests. My grades were unpredictable, sometimes A or B, more often so-so. When I started studying this way, suddenly I was getting As! And I wound up with two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree in a demanding clinical subject! You guys who are struggling, STUDY BY WRITING THE WORDS AS YOU SAY THEM ALOUD TO YOURSELF! It worked for me!
appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)Last edited Thu Feb 22, 2024, 01:56 PM - Edit history (1)
techniques and experience. Educators and experts finally recognized the different ways kids learn and implemented appropriate teaching methods in the last several decades.
Standardized methods clearly don't apply to all. Some individuals need sound/audio in addition to print, as a good friend with a dyslexic son stresses.
This Norwegian study confirms what I already thought and I'm glad to see it. If typing instead of handwriting was so effective for learning, I think schools would have had middle school students using typewriters decades ago!
raging moderate
(4,306 posts)As a child, I had a terrible time learning to write legibly. One day in 6th grade, Mrs. Wright called me to her desk as the recess bell rang, and told me, "When the lunch bell rings later today, go to Mr. Simon's room. He attended a workshop on legible writing over the weekend, and he has an idea that might help you." So I went to Mr. Simon's room at lunchtime, and he got out a piece of graph paper and told me to think of writing square letters, and form the written lines right over the square graph lines. IT WORKED! I have never forgotten the THRILL of watching legible words come out of my pen, for the first time in my life! And after I had practiced under the guidance of these two wonderful teachers, I gradually became able to write legible cursive passages spontaneously.
appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)Diamond_Dog
(32,012 posts)Even something as mundane as a grocery list.
appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)me why I was writing a 'To Do' list.
I said there's nothing wrong with my memory! if that's what you think. I enjoy the writing process (and drawing, art) and hand writing the List imprints it in my brain. So back off! JK.
He's a dear, not a big writer and doesn't need to be. Naturally sharp and perceptive, from a family of engineers. His son went through a well known Tech university in 3 years instead of 4 and was hired by Amazon right after graduation.
FakeNoose
(32,654 posts)The best learning aid there is ... writing notes/facts out by longhand. The second best learning aid is to type it on a keyboard, and then read it, over checking for errors.
appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)and reading assignments, the info always registers better. For papers and reports I typed up, reviewing and reading the text carefully afterwards was a must.
I've been doing this and using daily calenders, esp in the heavy career years for ages.
They'll have to pry my calender notebook, and To Do lists out of my cold, dead hands! Lol. 😊
highplainsdem
(49,005 posts)brain activity.
And if they think the tech we have now is dumbing people down, wait till they see the results of people using generative AI almost everywhere, as AI companies are desperate for it to be used so they can start to recoup what they've invested in it.
appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)and memory were clear to me long ago.
The coming AI tidalwave and the affect on human intelligence and work is almost too heavy to fathom.
When a big breakthru in AI happened c. 2012, I followed it some but have slacked off from concern overload.
In terms of employment I've seen some state that AI will 'help' workers. When I mentioned this to a smart professional friend who isn't a Luddite he replied, 'that's what they said about computers.'
c-rational
(2,594 posts)notes every night. We had no textbooks. It really did help me learn, and to this day I write things down to remember. Back in HS I actually rented out my notebook to others that did not take notes or needed help studying. Our teacher, affectionalyy know as Rocky (he taught Geology also) was impressed. To this day I still use a Day Timer to write my notes daily.
appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)the name Rocky is a riot, luv it and one I'll remember.
They'll have to pry my daily calender and To Do Lists out of my cold, dead hands! Thanks for replying.
Martin68
(22,822 posts)appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)have been changing in a big way in the Internet, Data Age.
Martin68
(22,822 posts)appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)Martin68
(22,822 posts)appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)Qutzupalotl
(14,317 posts)but about output rather than input.
I'm a graphic designer of print and static ads. I use a computer all day. In a crunch, the tendency is to put all the elements on the page and fiddle until it looks good. That's fine for most straightforward jobs. But when I get stuck or uninspired creatively, I get out paper and pencil. Almost as soon as I sketch out a rectangle and the biggest element, everything else seems to fall into place, and I can almost see the end result. Suddenly I know what to do to solve the problem. It's kind of exhilarating.
I think part of the reason for this is that hand-drawing forces me to simplify and look at overall shapes rather than fixating on content or colors. But another part is the immediacy of the mind/hand connection, something that seems to be lacking when using a keyboard. Ideas occur to me when sketching that would not occur staring at a screen. What if I reversed this? What if I filled here?
In art school they drilled into us that quantity produces quality. I remember once in Typography class, being asked to show 25 draft sketches of the same two words to use in our 5 selected comps. That forced us to explore unconventional approaches. Following that process proved to each student that drawing by hand works, even if it's rough. The ideas each of us came up with were striking and unique, even within the stricture of the same two words.
Which is a long way of saying, if you get stuck, use your hands!
appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)is different from what the human brain and hands can produce - often original and creative.
Thanks for sharing!
------
But another part is the immediacy of the mind/hand connection, something that seems to be lacking when using a keyboard.
Following that process proved to each student that drawing by hand works, even if it's rough.
The ideas each of us came up with were striking and unique, even within the stricture of the same two words.
DavidDvorkin
(19,480 posts)markodochartaigh
(1,138 posts)Joinfortmill
(14,436 posts)EverHopeful
(187 posts)the prices of e-notebooks are really coming down. Just got a Rocketbook with my birthday gift card for 20 dollars and change.
appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)elleng
(130,980 posts)My messages, on b'day cards to kids and grands, getting REALLY bad, as in illegible!
AllaN01Bear
(18,273 posts)Pinback
(12,158 posts)appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)Years ago Philip Roth said novels will be over in 10 years. Maybe not quite, but I understand his point.
elleng
(130,980 posts)AllaN01Bear
(18,273 posts)when i was in college . i learned how to use a word processer called ms word 5.0. my grades went from bs and ds to as and bs because of this . the instructors could read my reports and so on.,
appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)Botany
(70,522 posts).. students have to actively pay attention to the incoming information and process itprioritize
appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)Botany
(70,522 posts)Botany. =
3catwoman3
(24,007 posts)...was trying to remember what an abbreviation, that seemed clever and logical at the moment I first thought it up, actually meant when reading my notes. Many times, I'd look at one of my spur-of-the-moment creations and wonder, "
what the hell does this mean?"
In the various subjects that were part of the nursing school curriculum, there were lots of lengthy technical terms that took too long to write down in their entirety, hence the temptation to abbreviate.
yonder
(9,668 posts)Learning a new tune by ear works a lot better than playing music from a page IMO, but sometimes the melody escapes memory anyway.
If I take the time to rough out the dots on paper when learning it, I have a much better chance of retaining the tune long term.
Or sometimes if the tune escapes when called on, a quick peek at the first couple of bars brings the whole thing right on back.
Don't know why that works but it does for me.
appalachiablue
(41,148 posts)about foreign languages from listening to people I was around and remembering the words and phrases they used, even years later.
Classroom instruction and reading in school was good, but not the same as hearing the language spoken in RL of course.