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Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

scientificamerican.com

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Re: Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

#101

Post by hooverd »

ics wrote: post #47
softfalcon wrote: post #31

I was late to this game of "going backwards" to improve my memory and understanding of what I read and wrote. Being raised by two technologically forward engineers, we jumped on the palm-pilot/laptops/tablets/phones/e-readers bandwagon very early. 5 years ago I started turning back to calligraphy, fountain pens, and hand writing. I buy books and fill up my bookshelf. It wasn't just for the memory recall, it was the p…

People wishing to try experiencing the pleasure of fountain pens but avoid it because they are afraid of going down a rabbit hole can use the following: get one Platinum Preppy pen with black ink and either Medium (if you like thick, felt pen like lines), Fine (comparable to a regular ballpoint), or Extra Fine (if you keep your pencils extra sharp or normally use .38 or smaller pens) for $10 or less, and any notepad…

I have a Pilot Kakuno that I keep refilling with Noodler's Black. All my favorite pens have been cheap.

Re: Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

#102

Post by munificent »

softfalcon wrote: post #98
munificent wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love handwriting. As in, I hand-lettered every single one of the hundreds of diagrams in my two books [1]. I am also a sucker for nice pens and fancy paper. Office supply stores are like toy stores for me. (What can I say, I was a teacher's pet growing up.) So I am 1000% the kind of person to get into fountain pens. But I'm also a lefty. :( I know it is possible to learn to use a fountain pen while writing left-han…

Ooof, yeah, left handed with a fountain pen is not easy. I once foolishly went left handed "just to try" and ended up with a beautiful shade of dark green ink all over my palm and wrist. The ink just doesn't dry fast enough, even with premium papers. Maybe there are new inks that work well for this? It sounds like you've found some other pens that work well for you if you managed to hand draw hundreds of diagrams. I…

> It sounds like you've found some other pens that work well for you if you managed to hand draw hundreds of diagrams.

Yes! Technical pens are great. My first book was all done using a Faber-Castell Pitt pen and my second book was Pigma Microns. I think Pitt pens are my favorite. I also have some Copic Multiliners which I was very excited about but ended up being a little too narrow for my taste.

Re: Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

#103

Post by munificent »

politician wrote: post #84
munificent wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love handwriting. As in, I hand-lettered every single one of the hundreds of diagrams in my two books [1]. I am also a sucker for nice pens and fancy paper. Office supply stores are like toy stores for me. (What can I say, I was a teacher's pet growing up.) So I am 1000% the kind of person to get into fountain pens. But I'm also a lefty. :( I know it is possible to learn to use a fountain pen while writing left-han…

Unrelated, but thanks for your book. The illustrations are lovely and carefully crafted; I’d wondered how you made them.

You're welcome! People always assume I drew them digitally somehow, but nope, literally on paper with pencil and pen. Here's a video I put together showing the process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN1MsCXkPSA

Re: Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

#104

Post by disqard »

munificent wrote: post #52
softfalcon wrote: post #31

I was late to this game of "going backwards" to improve my memory and understanding of what I read and wrote. Being raised by two technologically forward engineers, we jumped on the palm-pilot/laptops/tablets/phones/e-readers bandwagon very early. 5 years ago I started turning back to calligraphy, fountain pens, and hand writing. I buy books and fill up my bookshelf. It wasn't just for the memory recall, it was the p…

I love handwriting. As in, I hand-lettered every single one of the hundreds of diagrams in my two books [1]. I am also a sucker for nice pens and fancy paper. Office supply stores are like toy stores for me. (What can I say, I was a teacher's pet growing up.) So I am 1000% the kind of person to get into fountain pens. But I'm also a lefty. :( I know it is possible to learn to use a fountain pen while writing left-han…

When I read the second sentence, I suspected it was you, and then it was confirmed by your username :)

Those diagrams are beautiful, and I think anyone who picks up that book and holds it in their hand can appreciate the work that went into it.

Thank you for creating it!

Re: Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

#105

Post by iamacyborg »

xanderlewis wrote: post #96
iamacyborg wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s nothing wrong with cheap pens, some of them are fantastic to write with. A lot of fountain pen enthusiasm just feels like tool fetishisation.

There are nice cheap pens out there, but fountain pens are beautiful and separating the choice of ink from the choice of pen gives a lot of flexibility. What’s particularly wrong with appreciating tools? Why brand it ‘fetishisation’? For me, a good fountain pen is a work of art; the fact it happens to be useful for work is an added bonus.

There’s a common saying amongst audio enthusiasts that audiophiles listen to their gear, not the music.

Good tools are good, but let’s not forget what they’re actually for.

Re: Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

#107

Post by softfalcon »

munificent wrote: post #102
softfalcon wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ooof, yeah, left handed with a fountain pen is not easy. I once foolishly went left handed "just to try" and ended up with a beautiful shade of dark green ink all over my palm and wrist. The ink just doesn't dry fast enough, even with premium papers. Maybe there are new inks that work well for this? It sounds like you've found some other pens that work well for you if you managed to hand draw hundreds of diagrams. I…

> It sounds like you've found some other pens that work well for you if you managed to hand draw hundreds of diagrams. Yes! Technical pens are great. My first book was all done using a Faber-Castell Pitt pen and my second book was Pigma Microns. I think Pitt pens are my favorite. I also have some Copic Multiliners which I was very excited about but ended up being a little too narrow for my taste.

Ah, yeah, I prefer the Faber-Castell Pitt's with the fine point to the Microns as well. The Microns do seem to be easier to find here in my end of Canada though, so there are tons in the house and my wife enjoys them as well.

Have you tried the FC Pitt brush pens [0] at all? They seem like a lot of fun for diagrams and doodles.

[0] https://fabercastellshopcanada.ca/collections/pitt-artist-pe...

Re: Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

#108

Post by aidenn0 »

munificent wrote: post #52
softfalcon wrote: post #31

I was late to this game of "going backwards" to improve my memory and understanding of what I read and wrote. Being raised by two technologically forward engineers, we jumped on the palm-pilot/laptops/tablets/phones/e-readers bandwagon very early. 5 years ago I started turning back to calligraphy, fountain pens, and hand writing. I buy books and fill up my bookshelf. It wasn't just for the memory recall, it was the p…

I love handwriting. As in, I hand-lettered every single one of the hundreds of diagrams in my two books [1]. I am also a sucker for nice pens and fancy paper. Office supply stores are like toy stores for me. (What can I say, I was a teacher's pet growing up.) So I am 1000% the kind of person to get into fountain pens. But I'm also a lefty. :( I know it is possible to learn to use a fountain pen while writing left-han…

Not a fountain pen, but the LAMY Safari (Rollerball) and Zebra Sarasa Dry (Gel) pens will each dry fast enough to write left-handed with most papers.

I find the typical rollerball to be far more conducive to cursive writing than a ball-point, as very little pressure is needed to release the ink. Kind of a "fountain-pen lite"

Re: Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

#109

Post by xanderlewis »

iamacyborg wrote: post #105
xanderlewis wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are nice cheap pens out there, but fountain pens are beautiful and separating the choice of ink from the choice of pen gives a lot of flexibility. What’s particularly wrong with appreciating tools? Why brand it ‘fetishisation’? For me, a good fountain pen is a work of art; the fact it happens to be useful for work is an added bonus.

There’s a common saying amongst audio enthusiasts that audiophiles listen to their gear, not the music. Good tools are good, but let’s not forget what they’re actually for.

All the gear and no idea.

Yeah. I’m a bit of an audiophile (used to be a music producer) and have almost no interest in audio hardware other than how it sounds.

But it seems strange to me to apply the same reasoning to stationery. With sound, there is literally only one thing that matters: how accurately and precisely you can vibrate the air. With pens, it isn’t so easy to quantify. How do you measure what it means to feel nice to write with, or to hold in the hand? Or what makes a particular ink pleasing to the eye? There’s huge scope for personality and opinion that isn’t present in other kinds of what you might call tools.

And, separately: what is meant by ‘fetishisation of x’? Is it synonymous with ‘interest in x’? To me it seems to be used simply to look down on those who have interests not considered worthy; if one disapproves of singing one might as well refer to it as ‘fetishisation of the human voice’. But perhaps there’s more to it than that.

Re: Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

#110

Post by 1auralynn »

dthedavid wrote: post #62

In university I noticed that some of my classmates just sat there and didn't take notes. So I stopped as well. I sat there, listened and then took pictures of the blackboard. This method worked better for me and I noticed that I performed better. The lesson here is that people learn in different ways.

Yeah the more auditory learner types don't need to take notes. If I try to do this as a visual learner I'm like "yeah yes OK I get it!" then completely forget what the lecture was about 30 min later. If I just take like two- or three-word notes, especially placed around some kind of diagram, it allows me to remember a little bit of what was said (and, more importantly, be able to look it up).
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