According to a recent IFOP survey, nearly 50% of young people aged between 12 and 25 believe that writing by hand encourages memorisation.
This survey is supported by numerous international studies and research projects. Although digital has become essential in our daily lives, paper and pencils are still valuable partners!
What you write by hand stays in your memory
On a keyboard a single stroke is required to write a letter. And it’s always the same one, whether you type an A or an M. In contrast, using a pen stimulates numerous areas of the brain. It’s necessary to propel the movements of the hand and to activate all the muscles while “thinking” of the word to be written. Yet this journey, divided into several stages, proves to be an excellent stimulus for the memory, as linguist Alain Bentolila explains.
The mere act of carefully copying your notes while concentrating on the important elements of the lesson helps you to memorise them. Result: Even more reason to use them! So if you’ve written the notes on your lessons on a computer, the best way of revising them is to copy them by hand.
Handwriting: your brain says 'thank you'
Moreover, this claim is confirmed by a study conducted by Pam A. Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer, researchers at the Universities of Princeton and California. It highlights “the superiority of the pen over the keyboard when taking notes and memorising. ” The reason is simple: when you tap on a keyboard, your brain focuses on the letter and not the substance, leading to a word-by-word transcription. On the other hand, when you take notes during a lesson, you encourage your brain to summarise the key ideas. This analytical effort, associated with the visualisation of the words on the paper, greatly improves memorisation.
Since tapping requires less motor effort, doing so too often could even have a negative effect on our skills. In any event, this is highlighted by a Canadian study published in August 2013 following a series of tests on students. Moreover, handwriting expert Michelle Dresbold warns: the keyboard has taken over from the pencil for numerous reasons. However, the lack of use of the exercise of handwriting may deplete our cognitive skills.
In conclusion, whether they’re question and answer cards or revision cards, the best cards are the ones you write yourself. So you know what you have to do!
Once you’ve created your Bristol cards you can scan them in the SCRIBZEE® application so that you can always carry them around with you and revise on public transport or at school... in short, wherever and whenever you like!
