Handwriting will no longer be taught in Finnish schools

芬蘭學校將不再開設寫字課

From 2016 handwriting will no longer be taught in Finnish schools

Handwriting is dead, long live keyboard skills!

書寫已逝,鍵盤技能萬歲！

So says the Finnish education system. From 2016 handwriting will no longer be taught in Finnish schools. And when a high-performing country like Finland makes an educational move, the rest of us who are slipping down the international ladder of academic performance should at least consider whether there would be any benefit in following in their footsteps.

這是芬蘭教育制度所傳達的信息.從2016年開始,芬蘭學校的寫字課將不復存在.當像芬蘭這樣一個教育如此發達的國家有此行動時,其他在學術表現遜色的國家至少應該想想效仿芬蘭是否能帶來益處.

Should we ditch handwriting lessons too?

我們是不是也應該廢除寫字課？

Does handwriting matter?

書寫重要嗎？

Most would agree that everyone should at least be able to pick up a pen or pencil and craft a message that others can read. But beyond legibility, does it matter how you form your letters when you hand write?

很多人都同意每個人至少應能拿起筆寫出清晰可辨的信息.但是除了可讀性之外,書寫的方式真的重要嗎？

There is research linking fluent handwriting with better written compositions. But the key isn't the quality, form or style of the handwriting, but rather the automaticity of the handwriting. That is, the less you have to concentrate on getting your letters right, the more brain space you can devote to getting your message right. So, your handwriting just needs to feel natural for you.

有研究表明流暢的書寫與更好的文筆具有相關性.但關鍵不在于書寫的質量、形式或風格,而在于書寫的自動化程度.也就是說,你在寫好字上花的精力越少,你構思文章的精力就越多.因此,你的書寫只需自然流暢即可.

Typing versus handwriting

打字vs手寫

Writing automaticity is just as easily achieved on a keyboard. It is actually more time efficient to teach a child to type than it is to teach them a particular handwriting style. By the time they are eight years old, they can already type faster than they can handwrite.

寫字的自動化程度很容易通過鍵盤來實現.實際上,教一個孩子打字比教他們一種特定的字體有效率多了.等到他們八歲的時候,他們打字速度已經比手寫要快了.

In 2016, the national standardized literacy and numeracy tests, NAPLAN, will be completed online. We can assume this means students will type their compositions rather than handwrite them. And perhaps the nation's writing scores will improve as a result. Typed written assessments typically score more highly than handwritten compositions. Assessors rate them as better organized, and, quite simply, easier to read.

2016年,芬蘭國家標準化識讀與運算測試（NAPLAN）將采用機試.我們可以認為,這意味著考生們會用鍵盤打字而非手寫,而且全國整體的寫作分數也可能會有所提高.一般來說,打出來的文章比手寫的文章得分更高.閱卷者會認為打出來的文章構思更好,當然,也更易讀.