Nostalgia or Necessity? Rethinking Traditional Skills in Today’s Classrooms

If there was any debate topic I truly struggled to take a firm stance on, it was this one. As a high school teacher, I have learned to adapt to the skill sets my students bring into the classroom. I am not a math teacher, so I can’t speak directly to the importance of memorizing multiplication tables, but I can speak to the shift I have seen in how students approach their work.

When I taught at a school where every student had a device, pen and paper tasks were rare. Any time I handed out a worksheet, or asked them to take notes or complete an assignment, I would hear things like ““Can I do it on my Chromebook?” or “Can I type it?

This year was different. My students did not have consistent access to devices, so there was a lot more pen to paper work and surprisingly, there was very little resistance. They just did it. Was their handwriting always easy to read? No. If this was the case, I would have them do it again. Even assessments. In previous years, I used Google Forms or Moodle, however this year, everything was on paper.  And that brings me to a bigger question: Can we create classrooms that still incorporate traditional skills, not necessarily rote memorization, but foundational skills like handwriting or spelling, without relying entirely on technology?

The Debate

Both teams did a great job of presenting solid points on this topic!

Progressive

Rose and Brianne brought up the idea of nostalgia, which really made me reflect on why we continue to have students do spelling tests, memorize multiplication tables, and practice handwriting. Just because I did these things as a student, does that mean this generation should too? They argued that education must shift from rote memorization to fostering innovation. To further strengthen their stance, they stated that we have to prepare our students for the rapidly changing world and skills like cursive writing are obsolete, time-consuming to teach and harder to read.

This reminded me of what Mike shared, that his sons can’t read their grandma’s handwriting, but they can code. It got me thinking: what skills are truly essential after high school? Should we be prioritizing digital literacy and the technical competencies students need to thrive in a tech-driven world? Or should we be focusing more on the soft skills that are equally critical for success?

According to the following article, young people need attributes like adaptability, initiative, curiosity, and imagination—skills that are fundamental in today’s workplace. So maybe it’s not just about the hard skills, but also the human ones.

At the same time, Carol and Jillian offered an important counterpoint. They highlighted real-life situations where being able to read or write by hand was still essential, like signing legal documents or reading handwritten notes. Their perspective reminds me that this isn’t a simple either/or conversation.

Traditional

On the other hand, Vanessa and Jenna made compelling points about why traditional skills still matter. They linked handwriting to early literacy development, noting that writing by hand helps strengthen foundational reading and writing skills. They also emphasized that knowing multiplication tables is essential for understanding more complex math later on, and that spelling remains a key part of strong communication.

I appreciated how they didn’t argue against technology, but instead stressed the importance of maintaining certain foundational skills alongside digital ones. It was interesting to learn that handwriting has been shown to improve cognitive connections in learning. They posed thought-provoking questions: Is spellcheck enough? Should students rely entirely on tools that do the work for them? Are kids missing out when we replace handwriting with tapping, swiping, and screens? What about the lack of development of fine motor skills or brain development, when students don’t use a pen or pencil?

My Children’s Take

All three of my children have graduated from high school, and two of them have completed business degrees. Their handwriting skills? Subpar. When my older son went to sign his driver’s licenses, I was mortified!  After seeing my older boys’ signature, I actually made my youngest son practice he signed his.

To get their take on this debate, I asked if they wished their teachers had spent more time developing their handwriting skills. My one son said,  “Nope. It’s a waste of time, especially in today’s world.” My daughter had a slightly different view. “Maybe a little,” she said. “If they want to take notes by hand, sure. But most of us type them anyway.” She’s currently in law school, so I asked if handwriting plays a role there. Her answer? “Not really.” However, I asked them about the importance of spelling and even spelling tests and both of them said “Yes, definitely”. I replied but there is spellcheck and my son replied, “You still need to be able to type it so spellcheck recognizes it.”

A Colleague’s Take

To get a perspective on multiplication tables, I asked a friend of mine who is a high school math teacher and his response was “Absolutely, yes!” That is one thing he believes kids should have to memorize. He explained that it becomes challenging to teach more complex concepts, when students don’t understand how to do basic multiplication.

My Experience

This past year, I taught Financial Literacy 10, a new course mandated by the Government of Saskatchewan as a graduation requirement. During the course, there were many topics I questioned if I should cover.

For example, do kids need to know how to write a cheque or balance a cheque book? The answer is no. But what they do need to know is how to manage a bank account online or how to track their spending and how to create a budget. Furthermore, teaching them how to protect their personal information, and how to avoid scams was essential in this day and age. Even when we covered job applications, I initially considered printing out paper forms for students but everything was online, so need to!

In my Foods 10 and 20 classes this past year, I reflected on whether I spend the time teaching my students how to manually double or half a recipe when they could click a button on their phone and it would be done for them? Or should I teach them both ways?

My Conclusion 

I am really torn on this topic. Yes, technology can replace many skills from the past and I believe technology enhances learning, but does that mean we just forget about the foundational skills that are or could be the building blocks of higher learning? What about the generational divide? Bridge the gap between generations? I believe that there is still a place for traditional skills in education. But I also acknowledge that I am not in the place to say that teachers need to teach traditional skills, while trying to teach digital literacy skills, get through curriculum, manage technology and manage a classroom- because that is not my reality. I am still trying to learn more about this topic.

To conclude, I want to highlight two different perspectives that support both sides of the debate. Mirra Komarovsky warns that “The greatest danger of traditional education is that learning may remain purely verbal,” cautioning against an over-reliance on rote instruction where students passively absorb information. This kind of surface-level learning risks disconnecting students from real experiences, creativity, and critical thinking.

Conversely, Doug Lemow reminds us that “Basic skills are the foundation of future learning. Without them, students will struggle to build new knowledge,” underscoring the importance of a solid foundation in order to support deeper thinking and complex learning.

My conclusion is that it doesn’t have to be one or the other.  As George Couros states, “Technology can amplify great teaching, but it will never replace it. Foundational skills and human connection are still the heart of learning.” Like so many of the other topics in this course, I believe the answer lies in a balanced approach, one that values and integrates both foundational skills and emerging digital competencies. It is about finding that middle ground, embracing innovation while staying grounded in the core principles that define effective teaching and who each of us are as educators.