The era dominated by screens and keyboards has undeniably revolutionised how students learn, and long gone are the days of the wheel-in projector, writing with a pen, the hand-delivered register and the physical homework diary.
As 2025 draws to a close, learning takes place in the world of technology. Homework is set and completed through online learning platforms, attendance is taken digitally, and work may be completed on screens or tablets. The future looks to be even more technologically enhanced, with AI meaning personalised learning journeys are the norm, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) creating immersive learning experiences, and AI tutors marking and assessing work.
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While the benefits of these innovations are undeniable, they are also reshaping foundational skills. The main buzz of worry hums around the use of AI, with over-reliance on such tools fundamentally reducing engagement in deep thinking tasks, risking new learners becoming a generation of passive consumers as opposed to critical thinkers.
The unspoken risk to penmanship
However, there is a more unspoken risk associated with our hyper-digitalised educational world: the danger of the page closing on the seemingly ancient art of penmanship.
According to research published in the Reading and Writing Journal in 2025, countries like Italy and Germany have reported a concerning uptick in dysgraphia, or poor writing skills. A 2025 study by the University of Stavanger in Norway found that 40% of Gen Z struggle to write by hand. In the US, the Common Core State Standards for education no longer require students to learn cursive writing. Finland announced in 2015 that it would remove cursive as a mandatory subject in favor of typing skills.
Writing by hand improves cognitive function
As the art of handwriting sinks further back into the shadows, it may seem outdated and stuffy to mourn it. It is traditional only by necessity, and as a practical skill, it seems almost useless.
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By GlobalDataHoweve; studies have been done on the scientific and psychological importance of learning to write by hand. MRI neuroimaging conducted over a decade ago in 2012, when handwriting still had a solid place in classrooms, found that handwriting activated a unique ‘reading circuit’ in the brain, meaning that learning to write created faster readers.
Another MRI study from 2020 saw that writing cursive from an early age establishes neuronal oscillation patterns that prepare the brain for learning. This means that writing something by hand makes one more likely to remember it.
Senses activated by pressing the pen to paper, such as seeing a variety of shapes in the written letters and hearing the sound made while writing, create more activity in the sensorimotor parts of the brain. These become hooks to hang memories on, as the sense experiences create contact between different parts of the brain. This suggests that even technology mimicking handwriting, such as a stylus-based apps, cannot truly replicate the senses activated by writing on paper.
Writing by hand can also reduce stress, affecting how students feel. The heightened brain activity that takes place when writing reduces anxiety levels. It requires a slower, deliberate pace that leaves room for reflection. In contrast, rapid typing or drag-and-drop interfaces can promote hurried thinking and a sense of disconnection from one’s own ideas.
A blended approach to learning is required
While handwriting is mostly unnecessary in lots of professional fields today, learning to write may be a necessary baseline to make learning easier overall. The state of learning to write by hand reflects the overall landscape of how technology ought to be successfully integrated with education.
Emerging technologies certainly have welcome benefits, yet they must be used with a delicate balance. Teachers must be empowered by AI, not replaced by it. AI tools must support students, rather than do their work for them. By maintaining such a balance, students can enjoy the efficiency and engagement of digital tools while preserving the cognitive and emotional benefits of handwriting.
