Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University conducted an experiment with 42 people learning the Arabic alphabet into three groups of learners as writers, typers and video watchers. The study published in the journal
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‘Handwriting performs better than typing or watching videos for learning to read a new language.’
Everyone learned the letters one at a time by watching videos of them being written along with hearing names and sounds. After being introduced to each letter, the three groups attempted to learn what they just saw and heard in different ways.
At the end of six sessions, everyone recognized the letters and made few mistakes when tested. But the writing group reached this level of proficiency faster than the other groups – a few of them in just two sessions.
The writing group are like a pro by writing with them, using them to spell new words and using them to read unfamiliar words compared to other groups.
The simple act of writing by hand provides a perceptual-motor experience that combines what is being learned about the letters (their shapes, their sounds, and their motor plans), which in turn creates richer knowledge and true learning.
Although the participants in the study were adults, they expect to see the same results in children. The findings have implications for classrooms, where pencils and notebooks have taken a backseat in recent years to tablets and laptops, and teaching vanished cursive handwriting.
The findings also suggest that adults trying to learn a language with a different alphabet should supplement what they’re learning through apps or tapes with good old-fashioned paperwork.
Source: Medindia
