Why should we maintain handwriting?

October was a mixed month for two of England’s national teams. The men’s rugby union team went into the World Cup on the back of a series of defeats and mixed performances. They were not expected to do particularly well even though they were placed in the ‘easier’ side of the draw. As it turned out, they defied their critics and reached the semi-finals, missing out on a place in the final by a single point.

By contrast, the men’s one-day cricket team went into their tournament as reigning champions with expectations of at least getting to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, their performance failed to meet these expectations and they finished seventh out of the ten teams participating. As with all high-profile sport, many pundits have been analysing the various teams’ performances after each match, dissecting the selection, preparation and tactics and putting forward opinions on how to avoid poor future performances and make improvements. There are as many different opinions as there are pundits, but the only analyses that really matter are those of the team squads and management. No doubt both teams will be pouring over data and videos to identify the steps for future success.

Learning from experience and then ensuring that lessons are consistently implemented is not easy. For sport and other similar activities, skills can be improved by practising drills aimed at correcting deficiencies. Any number of books and articles on developing expertise have argued that 10,000 hours of specific practice is necessary. This is all very well when there are periods between performances, but what about developing expertise in business or non-destructive testing (NDT) when you have to perform every day and do not necessarily have the time to dedicate? As I described back in May’s issue of NDT News, the answer is reflection.

However, the requirement to record continuing professional development (CPD) and associated reflections online may not be the best method of extracting value. I was alerted to this by a recent newspaper article, which described the benefits that accrue from handwriting with a pen and paper rather than using a tablet or laptop. Following the outcome of a previous reflection of my own, I did not keep the article to avoid clutter, but an internet search will bring up any number of papers and articles expounding the science of why handwriting is a skill that needs to be taught and maintained.

One such article can be found at: www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200910-the-benefits-of-note-taking-by-hand. Writing with a pen on paper involves a number of senses: touch in applying the pen on to paper; vision in seeing the letters and words that are written; and sound in hearing the pen move on the paper. Using all of these senses with controlled hand movements joins up different areas of the brain and makes it better for learning what we have written and subsequently recalling it. This is not limited to writing but applies equally to drawing. One paper on the subject states that: “it is vital to maintain both activities in a learning environment to facilitate and optimise learning”.

The BBC article emphasises the benefits of drawing by quoting Leonardo da Vinci and also provides a link to a discussion of his notebooks. The author of the discussion lists six key points he has learned from the study of the notebooks. While all are helpful, the two that I think are particularly beneficial in non-destructive testing and reflection are: “Visualise with a pen and paper to bring your ideas to life”; and “Break down complex ideas until they are simple.”

In business and non-destructive testing, we are always looking to simplify and speed up processes. Technology allows us to do this by typing inspection information into templates and using digital photographs to record signals. But maybe we have thrown the baby out with the bath water and should at least consider the benefits of restoring handwriting and drawings somewhere into the process?

If I repeat myself next month, it will be because I have typed this rather than writing it by hand!

Please note that the views expressed in this column are the author’s own personal ramblings for the purpose of encouraging discussion within NDT News. They do not represent the views of Jacobs or BINDT.

Letters can be mailed to The Editor, NDT News, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road, Northampton NN1 5NX, UK. Email: ndtnews@bindt.org or email Bernard McGrath direct at bernard.mcgrath1@jacobs.com

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