handwriting

15 Stories

Handwriting Expert Solves a Medieval Art Mystery

Manuel Panselinos was likely a nickname for Byzantine painter Ioannis Astrapas, experts say

(Newser) - Crime-solving techniques applied to a medieval illuminated manuscript in Paris may have solved a centuries-old puzzle—the true identity of a leading Byzantine painter who injected humanity into the rigid sanctity of Orthodox religious art. A contemporary of Giotto, considered the father of Western painting, the artist conventionally known as...

AI Finds What Humans Can't on Longest Dead Sea Scroll

Subtle character differences suggest it was written by 2 scribes, not one

(Newser) - Looking at the 24-foot-long Great Isaiah Scroll, the longest of 950 discovered Dead Sea scrolls, you'd assume it made someone's hand very, very tired. But the "near uniform" Hebrew script on the 2,000-year-old scroll discovered in 1946, which looks to the naked eye to have been...

She Doesn't Have Hands, Wins National Handwriting Award

Sara Hinesley, 10, hopes to inspire others

(Newser) - When 10-year-old Sara Hinesley first discovered cursive writing, "I thought it was easy." That's a testament to her attitude, as not much is easy for Sara—born without hands. "I just try my hardest," says the third-grader at St. John's Regional Catholic School in...

Kids These Days ... Are Learning Cursive Again

Schools are returning to the art of script

(Newser) - Cursive writing is looping back into style in schools after a generation of students who know only keyboarding, texting, and printing words longhand, reports the AP . Alabama and Louisiana passed laws in 2016 mandating cursive proficiency in public schools, the latest of 14 states that require cursive. And last fall,...

1st Grader Wins Handwriting Contest Despite Lack of Hands

'Anaya is a remarkable young lady'

(Newser) - A first-grader from Chesapeake, Virginia, won a national handwriting award this week—no small feat considering she was born without hands. "We looked at her writing and were just stunned to see how well her handwriting was," the competition's director tells ABC News . CNN reports 7-year-old Anaya...

Tennessee Kids May Be Forced to Learn Cursive

Popular bill will require teaching it in 3rd grade

(Newser) - Only around half of schoolchildren in Tennessee still learn cursive handwriting but lawmakers want to save it from becoming a lost art. A bill before the state House will make it mandatory for kids to learn how to read and write cursive, probably in the third grade, and it has...

We're Making a Mistake by Losing Cursive Writing

Essayist explains how it helped her autistic son

(Newser) - Necessary skill or relic of a bygone era? The debate on the merits of cursive writing is in full swing now that the new Common Core academic standards are about to kick in around most of the nation. Common Core doesn't mandate that schools teach cursive, and Polly Morrice...

Gadget of the Year? Pen and Paper

 Gadget of the Year? 
 Pen and Paper 
OPINION
Feb 7, 2012 2:42 PM CST

Gadget of the Year? Pen and Paper

Mark W. Smith: 'Cumbersome' smartphones can't beat old-fashioned writing

(Newser) - Smartphones and tablets have left everything from alarm clocks to GPS systems pretty much "obsolete"—but iPhones and BlackBerrys still haven't topped writing by hand, writes Mark Smith in the Detroit Free Press . He's no technophobe—in fact, he's a tech columnist. But when he...

How the USPS Deals With Your Awful Penmanship

Neither rain nor sleet nor ... bad handwriting

(Newser) - The United States Postal Service has no shortage of public headaches —but the Wall Street Journal takes a look at a quirky problem that's a little more under-the-radar: your bad handwriting. The USPS employs 1,900 clerks who show up for work at one of two "Remote...

Is Cursive Irrelevant? Indiana Thinks So

Schools no longer required to teach it

(Newser) - Inevitability department: Indiana has removed a district requirement that elementary schools teach students cursive handwriting, reports Fox 59 in Indianapolis. Beginning this fall, schools can teach cursive if they want, though they may prefer to use the time honing typing skills: Students will now be expected to be proficient in...

Why Cursive in Schools Still Matters
 Why Cursive 
 Still Matters 
Apr 30, 2011 12:29 PM CDT

Why Cursive Still Matters

Handwriting style fights forgery, bolsters motor skills, and more

(Newser) - Cursive handwriting may seem archaic in a time of word processors and text messages, and in schools nationwide, it’s being taught less and less. But the ability to write in cursive has hidden benefits, experts tell the New York Times . When it comes to signatures, for example, “it’...

Holiday Greetings Should Come From the Hand
Holiday Greetings Should Come From the Hand
OPINION
Dec 24, 2009 10:46 AM CST

Holiday Greetings Should Come From the Hand

Lousy handwriting is no excuse for e-cards, writes Meghan Daum

(Newser) - Meghan Daum is sick of receiving e-cards with dancing Santas and singing snowmen instead of real Christmas cards, and she's got a theory why people are sending so many of them. It's not laziness or a wish to save paper, it's because too many people—including herself—have let the...

Schools Cutting Cursive as Computers Prevail

Penmanship takes a backseat to science, reading instruction

(Newser) - Cursive may become a thing of the past as schools pressed for time focus their attention on science and reading, the Indianapolis Star reports. Cursive is still widely taught, but the emphasis has shifted from writing beautifully to writing efficiently as wider use of computers has also edged out cursive’...

Knowing the Candidates: The Proof Is in the Penmanship

Analysts read plenty into handwriting of White House hopefuls

(Newser) - Abraham Lincoln’s modesty and Ronald Reagan’s warmth were evident in their handwriting. Now, the Los Angeles Times wants to know what analysts think of the strokes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain:
  • Obama's writing is described as “fluid, graceful”; intelligent but also emotive. His words
...

Hand to Brain: Why Writing Matters in the Digital Age

Fluid writing linked to fluid thinking

(Newser) - Handwriting seems like a vestigial skill now that 3-year-olds are using computers, but it may still benefit children in more ways than helping them slog through parent-mandated thank-you notes, Newsweek says. Penmanship may be closely connected with the learning process, and a new study by a Vanderbilt prof indicates that...

15 Stories
Most Read on Newser