23 August 2014

“Writing? With the hand!” – The Schreibmotorik Institut in the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung

In his article for the business section of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, author Uwe Ritzer addresses the situation of the writing utensil manufacturers in times of smartphones and tablet computers. It seems as writing by hand is fading from the spotlight.

That's exactly what mustn't happen. In this the writing utensil manufacturers agree. Still, the industry is optimistic: “Where education is valued, there is still room for writing in the future,” the newspaper cites Sebastian Schwanhäußer, first executive director of the Schreibmotorik Institut and head of STABILO. And on: „It is necessary to transmit the educational and pedagogical value of writing and with that of pens.“ In order to satisfy this task, he founded the Schreibmotorik Instiut which is thoroughly referred to in the article.

Using the example of eight year old Antonia, Ritzer outlines the functionality of the WritingCoach®, a computer-aided method to analyse writing ability. The second executive director of the Schreibmotorik Institut, Karin Krieg, has Antonia carried out playful writing exercises and then determines Antonia a gorilla. The eight-year-old presses the pen too powerfully on the paper which leads to cramping her hand and thus to a slower writing. Karin Krieg has suitable tips for the girl's mother on hand.

With better motor skills it is possible to automatise writing, hence, for example, one can concentrate better on the content of what one is writing. For brain researchers it is certain for a long time that things which are written down by hand can be remembered more easily.