General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Witness responds to suggestion that Trayvon lied before getting shot: ‘That’s real retarded, sir’ [View all]tblue37
(65,666 posts)(the one called "alphabetical speedwriting, for example, which is what I use) that are as effective as shorthand for taking notes, without requiring that one master a whole new set of symbols.
Of course, that would be just for note-taking. The standard form of writing is necessary for essays and exams, since the papers must be read by a person who is unlikely to be familiar with shorthand or with any idiosyncratic form of fast writing the individual has devised.
The cursive Z and Q are obnoxious--so I never use them. I use printed versions of many uppercase letters. It is the linking element of cursive that speeds it up. But a student who has never learned to write linked letters often cannot read linked letters, either.
In many schools a fluid hybrid form called D'Nelian is actually taught in the lower grades in place of block printing, because the D'Neliean forms make it easier for the student to transition to cursive when the time comes. When my own kids were in elementary school, I volunteered in their classrooms. I taught at the writing table during Kindergarten, and D'Nelian is the style of writing that we taught.