An Article for Parents on the Importance of Handwriting
“Desirable Difficulty” With Handwriting
“Does handwriting matter?” asks Maria Konnikova in this New York Times article. Not very much, seems to be the consensus in many schools, with keyboard proficiency getting much more emphasis and no Common Core penmanship mandate beyond first grade. But new psychological and neurological evidence suggests that handwriting is directly linked to deeper learning. “Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand,” says Konnikova, “but they also remain better able to generate ideas and retain information.”
This was demonstrated in a 2012 study by Karin James of Indiana University. Pre-literate children were asked to reproduce a letter in one of three ways: typing it on a computer; tracing the letter guided by a dotted outline; and drawing it on a blank paper. Each child was then put in a brain scanner and shown the letter again. Those who had drawn the letter freehand showed lots of activity in three areas of the brain that are activated when adults read and write. Children who had traced or typed the letter showed almost no activity in these areas.
James believes the difference has to do with the messiness inherent in free-form handwriting. “This is one of the first demonstrations of the brain being changed because of that practice,” she says. “When a kid produces a messy letter, that might help him learn it.” Striving to imperfectly reproduce the letter is much more helpful than merely seeing it or seeing others write it. James’s research suggests that the effort and perceived imperfections of writing by hand engage the brain’s motor pathways – hence the learning benefits.
Research on older children by Virginia Berninger of the University of Washington produced similar results: those who wrote by hand showed more neural activity in the key areas, produced more words more quickly, and expressed more ideas. And research by Pam Mueller of Princeton and Daniel Oppenheimer of UCLA has shown that college students learn better when they take notes by hand than when they use a laptop. It appears that writing by hand allows them to process a lecture’s ideas and reframe them – “a process of reflection and manipulation that can lead to better understanding and memory encoding,” says Konnikova.
“What’s Lost As Handwriting Fades” by Maria Konnikova in The New York Times, June 3, 2014, http://nyti.ms/1t3cmsY
Auditorium Renovations
As the auditorium continues to be renovated Mr. Woods requests that parents are patient with the the limited space that will be available due to the scaffolding etc. Hopefully the new LED lights will be in place by the end of January.If you have passed the school at night you will have noticed the new LED lights that were installed in the front of the building and the backyard. We are grateful to Fr. Antonio, the alumni and the Archdiocese of New York for assisting in this project so that gym classes will no longer be impeded by the drop ceiling and also to restore the original luster of the building when it was first constructed.
Fund Raising Money for candy bars
As a reminder the money for fund raising should be given to Mrs. Resto in the tuition office. It will then be credited on the Smart Tuition account.
Progress Reports
Progress Reports will be sent home with ALL children on Friday January 9, 2015. In this way parents will see what subjects their child needs to study in depth before the administration of mid-terms. As a reminder mid-terms begin for all students in grades K-8 on January 21st and will cover all material from September - January. Again should parents wish to see their child's teacher about a specific deficiency they should schedule an appointment with Alba in the office.
After School Program
Parents are reminded that pick up for the After School Program will be on the first floor of the school (the school office).
Parents should now call the school's main number of 212-567-3190 after 3:00 PM if they wish to speak to Mr. Marcial and/or Eric.The old number will be disconnected this week.
Monday January 5, 2015
School resumes after Christmas break.
January calendars will be sent home today with students.
Calendar Correction - Sunday January 18th - NO COMMUNION CLASS at 12:00 noon
Tuesday January 6, 2015
Feast of the Epiphany
Math Coach will work with students today.
Wednesday January 7, 2015
Reading Coach will work with students today.
Thursday January 8, 2015
Happy Birthday Ransel
Friday January 9, 2015
Early Dismissal Day - 1200 noon Faculty meeting.
After School Program will be in session.
Sunday January 11, 2015
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
12:00 noon - Reconciliation Class
1:00 PM - Mass for all students
3:00 PM - Biology Class
