DEVELOPMENT
It’s true that legible handwriting has always been an exam requirement, and a well-stocked, transparent pencil case a thing of beauty. If you showed your workings, you did it with a pen – or fanatically sharpened pencil. Even that bastion of tradition now looks as if it’s tottering, as exam boards finally get the hint by moving some GCSEs online – and about time too, many would argue. This summer, one of the leading exam boards offered part of its computer science GCSE online, while another major assessment firm – AQA – is trialling screen-based English and maths GCSEs. This includes adaptive testing, where the questions get harder as the test progresses. So, is the flight to online learning good or bad news? It’s easy to dismiss naysayers as dyed-in-the-wool reactionaries. But, it’s not just traditionalists who have words of warning. Otherwise thoroughly modern experts, including therapists, think that the law of unintended consequences could very well apply here – if handwriting skills continue to decline. Writing isn’t just about the formation of the letters, but embraces so much more, like posture and muscle use. Children who hunch over a keyboard for hours on end won’t be using their muscles properly.
CAMBRIDGE EDUCATION GUIDE 73
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