There are several, each considerable, benefits of a hand-written correspondence course over screen-device based ones:
Maths exams are hand-written.
Candidates are expected to show relevant workings and intermediate steps: to be able to write them in the appropriate manner on the exam papers they have to be practiced in this medium.
Writing on paper maximises learning speed.
This effect was determined by Prof Ryuta Kawashima(1), a Japanese neuroscientist, who is famous for developing Train Your Brain on Nintendo DS. The research he did at Tohoku University was actually done with subjects having brain scans while completing arithmetic and maths using pen & paper NOT any form of screen device. What’s more, Kawashima’s research found that doing hand-written sums are the number one exercise for training the brain.
Research shows that using hand-writing rather than keyboards increases both focus and intensity of thinking. There is also considerable research showing the neuro-physical links involved with writing improve memory and retention.
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Train your Brain, Prof Ryta Kawashima, Tohoku University, 2001
ZERO on-screen time for students.
As important as screen-devices are, parents probably do, very understandably, worry children spend too much time on these. Our students do all their study handwriting on paper.
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Our topic modules worksheets contain detailed instructions, fully worked and partially-worked examples where students gradually complete more of the questions. There are also many rigorous instruction and review sheets.
A key focus of the course is to maximise the development of students' abilities to read, understand and follow written instructions, essential for exams and as a life skill.
Restricted calculator use.
Through prodigious & structured practice, the aim is for students to become highly adept with all aspects of mental and written arithmetic. They will be able to calculate faster and more reliably using their brains than calculators! This will be true even for more involved, multistep calculations, eg fractions, fraction to decimal conversions, percentages, etc. In this way, they come to fully understand and learn the calculation processes.
Use of calculators is limited to calculator-essential tasks, eg irrational square roots, trig functions, etc.
