Students learn better when writing by hand than typing, study shows

DPA
·1 min read
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Handwriting requires concentration, which means your brain is switched on in a way that allows it to learn better. The same can't be said of typing on a keyboard or screen, researchers say. Mohssen Assanimoghaddam/dpa
Handwriting requires concentration, which means your brain is switched on in a way that allows it to learn better. The same can't be said of typing on a keyboard or screen, researchers say. Mohssen Assanimoghaddam/dpa

Writing new information down by hand helps your brain remember things more effectively than when typing it out on a device, according to new research that goes against the common association of digitalization with progress.

"We show that when writing by hand, brain connectivity patterns are far more elaborate than when typewriting on a keyboard," said Audrey van der Meer of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and co-author of the study.

"Such widespread brain connectivity is known to be crucial for memory formation and for encoding new information and, therefore, is beneficial for learning," van der Meer explained, after running tests on 36 students.

Pen and paper, as well as chalkboards, are increasingly being replaced by screens in schools and universities around the world, a development which is misguided and could negatively impact learning, the researchers write.

The researchers, who published their study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology in January, are now urging that children "be exposed to handwriting activities in school to [...] provide the brain with optimal conditions for learning."

The findings follow the revival of handwriting in some schools in the US and should, the researchers said, lead to at least some reintroduction into schools where it has been cut back.