As education enters this brave new world, it’s understandable to assume that the basics aren’t worth teaching. Spellcheck with a click or a tap. Calculators for multiplication tables. Keyboards, not pens. It’s a valid question: do these skills still matter?
After reflecting on the many different stories and sources I have encountered during this course, I must say I remain conflicted about the role of foundational skills and “rote” knowledge in today’s classrooms. As someone who is a firm believer in student voice and powerfully preparing students for the demands of the future, I have more than once wondered about the true relevance of things like memorization of times tables, spelling lists, and teaching of cursive, to name a few. After all, I cannot even read my students’ cursive to verify their comprehension. Typing automatically checks for spelling. A calculator will do the math.
So, do we really need these skills?
The articles I have read this week, and others leading up to it, have led me to be rather frustrated at the need to be an either/or in this conversation. There is certainly evidence to support the practice of being less content-heavy and overloading students with unnecessary facts. We need to focus on deeper learning, as many of the cited experts have stated. We need to give our students the skills to learn how to learn, to be innovative, and to be thinkers. The articles, however, on the importance of teaching these skills, and especially handwriting, make a very compelling case as well.
As the articles I have read this week have so powerfully shown, there is significant research that shows the importance of handwriting, specifically during the early years, as a means of supporting reading and writing skills. Automaticity in writing and spelling, as well as composition skills, are all so critical, as are the basic computational skills, which are so easily accessed through memorized facts, such as the times tables.
Yet, the articles and debate video on the need for a shift in educational practice also make a rather poignant case. As the video Redefining Education and the article Creating Innovators by Erica Swallow show, there is a very rote way of teaching that, while academically rigorous in nature, does little to allow for the innovation, collaboration, and inquiry that will be needed for our students to be ready for the world that will exist for them when they leave school.
So, the question remains, do we need to continue to teach these skills?
After much reflection, I think the answer is quite clearly a resounding yes. As is the case with much of education, the answer lies in the balance. Yes, technology can close the achievement gap, but only when paired with excellent teaching. Yes, handwriting and computational skills are so very important, but so are tech skills and a certain level of fluency with technology. This is not an either/or type of question; it is a both/and. The research from Stanford demonstrates an appropriate time and place exists for both approaches.
Similarly, cursive, spelling, and math fluency are not the adversaries of innovation and technology; they are the allies that equip students with the skills to become confident and successful learners.
It makes me reflect on the many layers to today’s educational landscape. Traditional skills anchor students while technological skills launch them. The most innovative classrooms are not those who have forgotten the old ways rather, they’re the ones that have mastered them while raising the bar. I think education shouldn’t be a battleground of keyboard versus pen. By appreciating the pen and the pixel, we can give our students the opportunity to write their own future in more ways than one.
Hello Nosifat! I appreciate your balanced approach to this topic. It felt like a contentious debate to be sure. I love the line where you say “Traditional skills anchor students while technological skills launch them.” I think this is an excellent way of putting it! Our students need to be anchored in their learning so they are ready to launch into the technological world. It is nice to see technology partnering with traditional learning to help modern students learn those foundational skills. I know my own children used apps like Endless Alphabet, Endless Numbers, and Endless Reader to learn and practice letter and number formations partnered with phonics and spelling skills all while playing fun and silly games. I think the point is we can teach foundational skills while utilizing methods that make them relevant to today’s teaching method and tools of technology. The skills are here to stay but how we go about teaching them can evolve to suit the needs of today’s generation.
I hope you have a wonderful remainder of your summer!
Hi! Thank you so much for your kind words and thoughtful reflection. I love how you highlighted the importance of anchoring students before launching them into the digital world, it really is about balance. Wishing you a relaxing and joyful end to your summer as well!