Samstwitch
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The Dumbing-down of America
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Samstwitch
Senior Member
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- 5,111
Reading and Writing Cursive has been dropped from School Curriculum! That's crazy! That's the dumbing-down of America.
Every day our world is sounding more and more like George Orwell's 1984
Is Cursive Writing Dead?
A single sentence, uttered in the trial of George Zimmerman for the shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin, has catapulted an issue into the national spotlight.
When asked if she could read a letter in court, witness Rachel Jeantel, her head bowed, murmured with embarrassment, "I don't read cursive," ABC News reports.
Is it any surprise that cursive — the looped, curvaceous style of handwriting that's been a mainstay of education for generations — is all but dead?
"Cursive should be allowed to die. In fact, it's already dying, despite having been taught for decades," Morgan Polikoff, assistant professor of education at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education, told The New York Times.
"Very small proportions of adults use cursive for their day-to-day writing," Polikoff said. "Much of our communication is done on a keyboard, and the rest is done with print."
The recently established Common Core State Standards, the standardized educational benchmarks for U.S. public schools, omit cursive as a requirement. Some states, including Indiana and Hawaii, had dropped cursive from their curricula in favor of keyboard proficiency as early as 2011.
"I think it's important to have nice handwriting, but the importance of having to learn two kinds of handwriting seems unnecessary given the vast method of communication is on a keyboard," Polikoff told the Los Angeles Times.
Carrying the cursive torch
Nonetheless, cursive has its aficionados, who note that many historical documents will be illegible if people can't read or write in cursive.
"Cursive writing is a long-held cultural tradition in this country and should continue to be taught; not just for the sake of tradition, but also to preserve the history of our nation," Jimmy Bryant, director of archives and special collections at the University of Central Arkansas, told The New York Times.
Others claim cursive is important because it's faster and more efficient than printed writing.
"It's not calligraphy. It's functional," Suzanne Asherson of Handwriting Without Tears, a handwriting program for teachers, told the Los Angeles Times. "When a child knows the mechanics of forming letters in cursive, they can better focus on their content."
Handwriting Without Tears advocates a simpler method of cursive writing, minus all the curls, loops and other decorative flourishes.
Writing in general, regardless of whether it's cursive, may also boost brain activity, according to a 2010 study finding that preschool students who wrote out letters rather than just viewing them showed changes in brain activity when they later viewed those letters. "Coupled with other work from our lab, we interpret this as the motor system augmenting visual processing," said study researcher Karin Harman James of Indiana University in a statement. "In the case of learning letters, printing helps children recognize letters."
Higher test scores?
Anderson points critics to a recent study by the College Board, which found that SAT test essays written in cursive received a slightly higher score than those written in printed letters.
But Polikoff and others aren't impressed. The College Board study "is not evidence of anything," he told the Los Angeles Times. "It doesn't indicate that the knowledge of cursive causes higher scores."
"As we have done with the abacus and the slide rule, it is time to retire the teaching of cursive," Polikoff told The New York Times. "The writing is on the wall."
Every day our world is sounding more and more like George Orwell's 1984
Is Cursive Writing Dead?
A single sentence, uttered in the trial of George Zimmerman for the shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin, has catapulted an issue into the national spotlight.
When asked if she could read a letter in court, witness Rachel Jeantel, her head bowed, murmured with embarrassment, "I don't read cursive," ABC News reports.
Is it any surprise that cursive — the looped, curvaceous style of handwriting that's been a mainstay of education for generations — is all but dead?
"Cursive should be allowed to die. In fact, it's already dying, despite having been taught for decades," Morgan Polikoff, assistant professor of education at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education, told The New York Times.
"Very small proportions of adults use cursive for their day-to-day writing," Polikoff said. "Much of our communication is done on a keyboard, and the rest is done with print."
The recently established Common Core State Standards, the standardized educational benchmarks for U.S. public schools, omit cursive as a requirement. Some states, including Indiana and Hawaii, had dropped cursive from their curricula in favor of keyboard proficiency as early as 2011.
"I think it's important to have nice handwriting, but the importance of having to learn two kinds of handwriting seems unnecessary given the vast method of communication is on a keyboard," Polikoff told the Los Angeles Times.
Carrying the cursive torch
Nonetheless, cursive has its aficionados, who note that many historical documents will be illegible if people can't read or write in cursive.
"Cursive writing is a long-held cultural tradition in this country and should continue to be taught; not just for the sake of tradition, but also to preserve the history of our nation," Jimmy Bryant, director of archives and special collections at the University of Central Arkansas, told The New York Times.
Others claim cursive is important because it's faster and more efficient than printed writing.
"It's not calligraphy. It's functional," Suzanne Asherson of Handwriting Without Tears, a handwriting program for teachers, told the Los Angeles Times. "When a child knows the mechanics of forming letters in cursive, they can better focus on their content."
Handwriting Without Tears advocates a simpler method of cursive writing, minus all the curls, loops and other decorative flourishes.
Writing in general, regardless of whether it's cursive, may also boost brain activity, according to a 2010 study finding that preschool students who wrote out letters rather than just viewing them showed changes in brain activity when they later viewed those letters. "Coupled with other work from our lab, we interpret this as the motor system augmenting visual processing," said study researcher Karin Harman James of Indiana University in a statement. "In the case of learning letters, printing helps children recognize letters."
Higher test scores?
Anderson points critics to a recent study by the College Board, which found that SAT test essays written in cursive received a slightly higher score than those written in printed letters.
But Polikoff and others aren't impressed. The College Board study "is not evidence of anything," he told the Los Angeles Times. "It doesn't indicate that the knowledge of cursive causes higher scores."
"As we have done with the abacus and the slide rule, it is time to retire the teaching of cursive," Polikoff told The New York Times. "The writing is on the wall."
Samstwitch
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Here is a test for Eighth Graders from 1912, which shows how much America today has been dumbed-down. Click the Headline below to read the full article:
Newly Discovered Eighth Grade Exam From 1912 Shows How Dumbed Down America Has Become
If you would like to know what the correct answers to these questions are, you can find them right here.
Newly Discovered Eighth Grade Exam From 1912 Shows How Dumbed Down America Has Become
If you would like to know what the correct answers to these questions are, you can find them right here.
Khaos
where the wild things are
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You skipped school a lot, didn't you? I could name every question with ease.
BlastTyrant
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My little brothers home work is far far more difficult that what mine was as a kid, hell he has to help me do his math problems.
But it is possible to have a decent life these days without going to school, or in some cases just live off the Govt.
last generation and this generation are raised with far worse morals than what anyone born after the 90's were, don't need school when the govt will take care of you, or if you don't get your way Sue. It's to me just a all around lack of Intelligence, well not even intelligence but common sense, not having basic common sense is what is making us look stupid.
Like the whole law suit when the lady dropped the coffee on her lap from McDonalds, she sued because it was hot and not labeled as hot, i mean really? or the guy who put his Camper in Cruise Control and went in the back to make him self food then crashed and sued the company because the RV didn't drive it's self after being put in cruise control. Common Sense would tell ANYONE, hey that's stupid maybe we shouldn't do that, but in my line of work i see this Daily! At-least 2-3 times a day i am slapping my self in the forehead going "Did they really just ask that?"
We will use the man with the RV, now one of these big beasts cost a whole heck of a-lot of money not to mention the cost to fill, so we assume he has to have a fairly good paying jub he went to school for, so how can a intelligent man as him self be so stupid? Common sense, lazyness, everyone expects everything to work perfectly and easily, to the point this well educated man had such a huge memory lapse that he thought his RV would drive it's self.
As they say "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink"
or as it would be put now a days "You can lead a horse to a sparkling water hole, but you'll need 3 forums to fill out and instructions on how to drink it"
Khaos
where the wild things are
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I don't live off the government, I have a job. Sometimes I work from home, other times, I'm out there in the community, busting my ass. to put food on ym table, and clothes on my back. I went to school, never skipped unless I was sick. Got a decent education, decent grades. I was raised in a decent manner. My parents didn't raise me and my brother to be wild and crazy, they kept an eye on us. I have good morals, better than most others I know of. I know right from wrong. I don't have a criminal record. Well, I did at one time, even spent a night in jail, never again. That was when I was 17, I'm now 26.
But then, I wasn't both in the 90s. I was born in the 80s.
But then, I wasn't both in the 90s. I was born in the 80s.
TnWatchdog
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What always intrigues me is the students that were learning in 1912 are now dead, victims of a recycling process of this world. I do think that most students in this country couldn't answer these questions...if they don't know who is the VP or other simple questions raised on reality shows, they wouldn't have a prayer here.
Studies prove that students in other countries are smarter as they are working hard to achieve their dream while the students here just expect things to be handed to them. Not to burst any bubbles but this is true but I do realize that this doesn't apply to everyone...maybe just 99%.
Studies prove that students in other countries are smarter as they are working hard to achieve their dream while the students here just expect things to be handed to them. Not to burst any bubbles but this is true but I do realize that this doesn't apply to everyone...maybe just 99%.