Arun Vishwanath of New York, studying the diffusion of innovations, asks the far too relevant question: Why do we still teach our kids ABC? Today most preschoolers already know words like Xbox and Zoom, why do we waste time teaching them words like xylophone and zebra, that have no connection to their experiences and hence might not even feature in their verbal expression? Arun talks about how it is just our way of holding on to a century-old battered tradition.
Research shows that the ABC sequence has undergone improvisation to get to the current 26-letter format. The origins of writing tools and printing technologies brought in cursive and lowercase scripts, and standardized font families. Research also shows that cultures with written languages evolved beyond those with spoken languages, due to their ability to accurately express knowledge. Everything from written scripts to keyboards supports this belief. Thus, it could be argued that teaching our children ABC nudges them in the direction of proficient expression of ideas.
Children today have it much easier than before with technology essentially rendering the skill of writing manually obsolete. Kids are not taught cursive writing or lowercase/uppercase anymore, instead, they’re taught to ‘type’. The writing was more than just manual labor, it allowed children the space to think; but with fast typing technologies like word, the speed of our thought process also needs to be faster. The sequential writing thought-process has been altered even more with new applications like Textilus/Scrivener, writers can work on different sections of a piece simultaneously, encouraging non-sequential train of thought. In addition, the voice-to-text programs make things painfully easier, indeed allowing us to think aloud and write.
Our idea of literacy is also evolving. It used to be one’s ability to absorb and store information and express it in a succinct manner; but now, it’s about creatively conveying one’s ideas. One must be able to craft persuasive content while being digitally literate. These are the skills that need to be introduced in children’s formative learning, equipping them with advantages for their personal success as well as society’s.
For further information, click on this link https://www.arunvishwanath.us/2020/09/15/why-do-we-still-teach-our-children-abc/