WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.270 --> 00:00:04.790 Newborns will grab what's in their immediate environment. 2 00:00:04.790 --> 00:00:07.580 They have an innate grasp reflex. 3 00:00:07.590 --> 00:00:11.950 It probably originally arose from the need to reflexively latch onto 4 00:00:11.960 --> 00:00:14.350 a mother animal's fur. 5 00:00:15.230 --> 00:00:18.557 The pincer grip, which involves coordinating with the thumb, 6 00:00:18.590 --> 00:00:23.440 only starts to develop around six months. The grasp reflex is 7 00:00:23.450 --> 00:00:27.650 subsequently lost, and training improves dexterity in daily life. 8 00:00:27.750 --> 00:00:32.470 Most children can tie their own shoelaces by the age of four. 9 00:00:32.470 --> 00:00:34.020 And learn to write. 10 00:00:34.830 --> 00:00:38.200 In this second grade class in the small Bavarian town of 11 00:00:38.210 --> 00:00:41.610 Roth, today's lesson plan includes handwriting. 12 00:00:42.680 --> 00:00:46.440 I can see that for many of you, the training is really paying off. 13 00:00:49.460 --> 00:00:52.460 Writing by hand is a complex process. 14 00:00:52.580 --> 00:00:57.030 During this activity, twelve areas of your brain are active and more than 15 00:00:57.030 --> 00:01:00.900 30 muscles and 17 joints in the hand have to work together. 16 00:01:02.400 --> 00:01:05.950 Marianela Diaz Meyer is a researcher at an institute 17 00:01:05.959 --> 00:01:07.780 dedicated to the topic. 18 00:01:07.800 --> 00:01:11.510 She's here today to observe how individual children use 19 00:01:11.520 --> 00:01:13.800 their hands when writing. 20 00:01:15.800 --> 00:01:18.190 How do they hold the pen? 21 00:01:19.050 --> 00:01:22.140 Do they write fluidly, or do they tense up? 22 00:01:25.720 --> 00:01:28.270 Learning to write is learning to move. 23 00:01:28.280 --> 00:01:30.880 When we talk about handwriting, we're not just talking about 24 00:01:30.890 --> 00:01:34.890 finished letters, but the movement that leads to handwriting. 25 00:01:36.700 --> 00:01:40.400 Writing by hand creates a memory trace in the brain. 26 00:01:41.630 --> 00:01:44.709 Different letters lead to corresponding movements. 27 00:01:46.200 --> 00:01:48.000 This makes learning easier. 28 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:52.223 I like writing cursive and I find it pretty easy, 29 00:01:52.257 --> 00:01:54.360 but it also hurts my arms a bit. 30 00:01:57.960 --> 00:02:01.640 Surveys have shown that children are losing interest in writing. 31 00:02:01.960 --> 00:02:05.620 Marianela Diaz Meyer has observed that as well, 32 00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:07.140 along with something else. 33 00:02:08.320 --> 00:02:11.060 Handwriting is deteriorating. 34 00:02:11.070 --> 00:02:12.110 The children don't write. 35 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:13.740 They write far too slowly. 36 00:02:13.750 --> 00:02:17.006 They tense up and they write very illegibly. 37 00:02:18.040 --> 00:02:24.220 Half of all boys in elementary school and one in three girls have problems with writing, 38 00:02:24.220 --> 00:02:27.900 according to Germany's national teachers' association. 39 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:32.190 Weaknesses can be detected with the help of a special digital pen. 40 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:36.080 A touch sensitive screen under the paper measures pressure, 41 00:02:36.200 --> 00:02:40.160 movements and speed of writing and evaluates the data directly. 42 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:47.520 Go on, go on, go on. 43 00:02:47.530 --> 00:02:53.880 Stop. L L L. Three times, then one more time. Three times. 44 00:02:53.880 --> 00:02:54.870 Stop. 45 00:02:56.950 --> 00:03:02.139 The test also allows Marianela Diaz Meyer to clearly explain to 46 00:03:02.139 --> 00:03:04.550 the children what they're doing wrong. 47 00:03:05.480 --> 00:03:08.070 You write fast. You can do it very well. 48 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:10.480 Your speed is very good for your age. 49 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:15.610 But you press a little too hard and we're going to do 50 00:03:15.653 --> 00:03:19.293 an exercise for that now. 51 00:03:20.370 --> 00:03:24.500 The results help Meyer's institute develop freely accessible methods 52 00:03:24.500 --> 00:03:26.536 that can be easily implemented by teachers. 53 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:31.000 They also help train kids' fingers in a playful way. 54 00:03:34.620 --> 00:03:39.220 We do this so that we don't always press so hard on the pen. 55 00:03:42.160 --> 00:03:46.720 Motivation increases. They write faster when they copy from the blackboard, for example. 56 00:03:47.320 --> 00:03:51.320 And teachers can then encourage this even more in class. 57 00:03:54.620 --> 00:03:59.106 Writing down stories dictated by by the teacher is also 58 00:03:59.207 --> 00:04:01.400 a good way to practice. 59 00:04:03.050 --> 00:04:07.167 Even a single hour of hand training every week brings measurable progress 60 00:04:07.343 --> 00:04:11.370 because it helps many children enjoy writing more. 61 00:04:12.010 --> 00:04:16.050 But enjoyment is far from the only factor playing a role. 62 00:04:19.230 --> 00:04:22.123 We would like the children to spend less time in front of screens — 63 00:04:22.157 --> 00:04:22.428 64 00:04:22.428 --> 00:04:24.940 half an hour less for technical media — 65 00:04:25.106 --> 00:04:27.420 and instead do stuff kids like to do. 66 00:04:27.430 --> 00:04:28.940 Experience nature. 67 00:04:28.950 --> 00:04:30.300 Bake cookies at home. 68 00:04:30.310 --> 00:04:31.100 Knead dough. 69 00:04:31.110 --> 00:04:32.300 Play with water. 70 00:04:32.310 --> 00:04:34.446 In other words, everything that's experienced 71 00:04:34.580 --> 00:04:37.897 haptically with the hands. 72 00:04:38.052 --> 00:04:40.089 Handwriting must not be replaced. 73 00:04:40.640 --> 00:04:42.870 It's very valuable for our brain. 74 00:04:42.880 --> 00:04:45.860 Digitalization isn't the antithesis, but we should be using 75 00:04:45.870 --> 00:04:47.513 it where it's appropriate.