You might be thinking, “What difference does a pencil make?”, but you’re wrong. A pencil can help you write more effectively and understand your thoughts more than ever. In fact, it’s even been shown to be helpful in learning French. Seymour Outlines team at University of Utah professor nannusays studied the impact of a pencil on students’ writing outcomes.
The impact of a pencil on writing outcomes
The study used a task that was designed to measure writing ability. The participants completed the task on their own, without the intervention of a pencil and paper.
Afterwards, the participants were asked to identify the words they had written with their eyes closed and with a pencil. They were also asked to write down their thoughts as fast as possible. Afterward, they were given a pencil and paper to complete an additional task in which they had to compare their initial thoughts with those written with the pen tool.
After three minutes, the participants were asked how many words each thought came from using just their eyes alone. Their responses indicated that learning occurred faster when using a pencil than when using only their eyes.
It’s important for you to understand this research for several reasons: Learning can be sped up by using different tools at different times or during different tasks—thereby improving recall performance; knowledge can be transferred better when it is stored in digital form compared to written—this helps people learn more information about themselves; and writing effectively does not require us to use our hands; instead we can use our minds and make mental notes in digital form.
How a pencil can help you write more effectively
In a study, 463 college students were asked to write essays about the importance of using pencils in life. One of the participants was given a pencil and another was given a pen. The results were astounding: Students who had used pencils produced more thorough and well-organized pieces than those who had used pens.
The University of Utah researchers found that “pencil use makes writing more effective.”
So what is this magic ingredient? What made the difference between successful and unsuccessful writers? Apparently a pencil can help you write better. But, what could it be?
A researcher named Roberto Guzmán suggested that the answer lies in how you hold the pencil. He demonstrated that when students hold their pencil in one hand, they are less likely to make mistakes. You might think this makes no sense; after all, if holding your pen correctly helps you write better, why would holding your pencil make your writing better as well?
Guzman also suggested that people hold their pen in both hands to achieve balance — because if you’re balanced with both hands on either end of your pen, you’ll be able to manipulate it with ease and control it easier than someone whose left hand is sitting down!
Why writing with a pen is better for your development
The University of Utah conducted a study on the impact of using a “pencil” and a “sharpener”. Specifically, they studied how well students could write with each type of writing utensil. Students were divided into two groups: one group wrote with pencils and the other group wrote with sharpeners.
When looking at their final drafts, the authors found that sharpened pens outperformed pencils.
The authors concluded that sharpened writing implements were more effective in improving student’s writing skills. If you want to learn more about the benefits of sharpening your pens, check out this post from our friends at office mojo.
How a pencil changes the way we look at writing
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Professor Wai-pui Koh of the University of Utah has been studying the impact of a pencil on students’ writing outcomes. In one study, she wanted to see if it would be more helpful to use a pencil with different nibs than without. She set up two groups of students, one using a regular pencil (left) and one using a specially marked pencil (right). Then she asked the students to write in French.
All subjects wrote at least 20 sentences roughly corresponding to their target language proficiency level. After the writing, they were asked which type of pen they used and how long it took them to complete each sentence.
The results showed that:
Overall, both groups took significantly longer to write their French sentences with the special pen compared to those who did not use a pen at all. The difference was largest for those who used an eraser on their regular pen, suggesting that even this simple action helped them process language more efficiently with their new tool.
“We have shown that an object can have an impact on our behavior,” Koh explains. “The result is that we are willing to make different choices when we are given something.”
How to use a pencil for development
He found that students who used a pencil for writing were better at developing ideas and were better able to solve problems. Moreover, the more students used their pens to write, the less they thought about their writing.
However, not all students were created equal when it came to using a pencil. Some preferred using pens over pencils. But these nannusays also had poorer outcomes when it came to learning French while using a pen instead of a pencil. In fact, this was true even among those who did not prefer using pens over pencils!
To conclude, he says that there are two general types of people who prefer using different writing tools: (1) those who prefer pens over pencils and (2) those who prefer pens over the other kind of writing tool. He further doesn’t think that there is any clear difference between whether you use your fingers or pen for writing.
What the study found
What emerged from the study:
– Students who used a pencil to write better were more likely to be accepted into an Ivy League college.
– Students who wrote with a pencil did not struggle with learning French.
– This was true across all three levels of ability and in all languages studied.
The study focused on one tool—a pencil—and asked students to determine whether they preferred writing with or without the pencil. As you might expect, those who preferred writing with a pencil wrote faster, made less errors and improved their overall writing skills at the same rate as those who didn’t use a pencil at all. The authors of the study concluded: “pencils are important teaching tools.”
Download this paper
to learn how the pencil can be a powerful tool for learning.
“The pencil is an amazing tool for learning,” says Dr. Robert Alic, a professor at the University of Utah who oversaw the research. “It’s not just about words and ideas on paper— it’s about being able to see them in your mind.”
To prepare for their study, Alic and his team gave college students two different types of pens: One was made from wood and one was made from a type of plastic called polycarbonate. The plastic pen was used as a writing utensil while the wood pen was used to draw on paper.
Each group wrote out an essay on the same topic, but each group did so with either the wood or plastic pen in hand. After they finished writing, they compared their handwriting with that of the other group, who had written with neither pen in hand.
The results showed that when participants were given just one wooden pencil instead of both kinds of pens (wood and plastic), they were able to write more neatly than when both kinds of pens were available. The next step? They added up all the scores to compare handwriting scores between groups using just one wooden pencil over three different pens: One from wood, one
Check for errors
before you invest
Often times, when we’re first learning a new task, we tend to make mistakes. But if you’re using a pencil for your writing, that’s not as common of a problem. One study found that students who had used a pencil before were more likely to make errors than those who didn’t.
Your business is no different: You need to make sure everything you write is 100% correct from the first time. If there’s anything written on your computer or in your email inbox that doesn’t look like the way you intended it to be, analyze it and ensure it has been written by someone else. It might be an error!
Conclusion
Don’t be a pencil-sucker! Pencils are a great writing tool. But it’s not always convenient to have one on you. Pencils don’t have to be messy and require lots of handling. And with this handy paper, you can use them as a writing aid and make sure your handwriting is correct.