Research: The Cognitive Benefits of Handwriting
Long-term research has shown that taking notes by hand leads to higher quality learning and recall than typing. Researchers have even found that writing by hand creates new connections in the brain.
Results from 24 separate studies across 21 articles revealed that taking and reviewing handwritten notes leads to higher achievement, even though typing notes benefits note-taking volume, among college students. Furthermore, our binomial effect size display shows that taking handwritten lecture notes is expected to produce higher course grades than typing notes among college students.
At Marin Waldorf School, our low-tech, creative, and experiential approach to teaching encourages cognitive development in children—including through the creation of handmade lesson books in every subject, in which both aesthetics and content are evaluated. All students learn cursive writing starting in 2nd grade, and note-taking is integrated into the middle school curriculum, alongside other executive functioning and organizational skills that students will need in high school and beyond.