Introduction

The (Hand)writing workshop aimed at giving college-aged students a space where they could focus on their mental health via writing by hand. Living in an age where screens and short-form content are abundant can take a toll on students’ mental health­—namely, it deteriorates attention span. Students in this workshop spent this semester writing primarily by hand and discovered for themselves how they felt about handwriting vs. typing, and used their creativity to write their own stories, poems, and more. Students chose to write about whatever felt personal to them, whether that was nature, relationships, or anything beyond and between.

History & Distinction

Writing has been a practice for centuries. The first form of writing was using three-dimensional clay tokens, called “cuneiform script,” and was used in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). Cuneiform script then evolved into an alphabet with letters, which is how present-day writing was born (Wright 1–2). Writing has continued to evolve, and has reached an interesting crossroads with the development of artificial intelligence (AI). AI is praised for its efficiency and accessibility, however, Harjanto et al. states that AI can cause problems, “such as increased dependence on technology and decreased involvement in critical thinking.” (Harjanto et al. 17). Screens are heavily pushed in this generation; without being able to reconnect with the physically written word, students will have more difficulty thinking critically. What inspired me to create this workshop was my recent diagnosis with inattentive ADHD combined with my love for writing.

Methods

Background for this workshop consisted of reviewing online sources where people had conducted both quantitative and qualitative research on the scientific differences between handwriting and typing. In the first weeks of the semester, the main purpose was to refine the students’ knowledge of basic English, and in the weeks following, the students wrote. They built on their knowledge by first responding to prompts I created, then to prompts their peers created, to eventually writing their own unprompted pieces for ArtsFest. Teaching is a passion of mine and I made it a point to try and make each student feel like they belonged in the classroom. I frequently started the class with a funny/cute image of an animal and asked everyone how they were doing, would frequently play music while students were writing, and ensured the class generally functioned like a 90-minute conversation rather than a lecture.

Audience & Impact

The audience is primarily the students in the workshop. I wanted the impact to be students coming out of this workshop ideally starting a physical journal or something similar. Most students in the room were not “writers” in a professional sense; each person had a different major. The students all wrote such personal, reflective, and captivating pieces throughout the semester, and I am in awe of their work for ArtsFest. This workshop had a significant influence on me; leading this workshop allowed me to realize that I have a passion for teaching, which I hope will be the basis of my future career.

References

Harjanto, Rudy, et al. “MANAGING the INTERSECTION of ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, DIGITAL TYPING, and HANDWRITING for SUSTAINABLE QUALITY EDUCATION ENHANCEMENT.” International Journal of Professional Business Review, vol. 9, no. 4, Tutor Treinamento e Desenvolvimento, Apr. 2024, pp. e04534–34, https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2024.v9i4.4534.

Wright, James. “The Evolution of Writing | Denise Schmandt-Besserat.” Utexas.edu, 2014, sites.utexas.edu/dsb/tokens/the-evolution-of-writing/.

Acknowledgements

I would like to sincerely thank my fantastic TA Morgan for her help this semester in every aspect of the workshop—she helped me refine lesson plans, jumped in during class if I ever felt stuck, along with so many other things. Additionally, I want to thank our fabulous graduate student Irene for her patience, kindness, and genuine care for each person in any room. And, of course, I sincerely thank Harold and Heather for their support and positivity throughout all aspects of my Arts Scholars career, and especially as I prepared myself mentally and logistically to lead a workshop. Finally, I would like to thank the workshop participants—it was an incredible privilege to hold this workshop with such talented, creative people. I am beyond grateful.