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Handwriting: Why, What and How

This document discusses handwriting instruction and provides guidance on why, what, and how to teach handwriting. It notes that handwriting is a complex skill requiring specific teaching and practice. It should be taught to allow students to effectively communicate through writing. The document recommends: - Teaching letter formation with an explicit multisensory approach and daily practice - Introducing writing between lines only after letter formation is automated - Monitoring individual student progress and providing early intervention for writing difficulties - Using supportive activities to develop functional handwriting skills rather than worksheets

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Muhammad IzWan Afiq
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257 views37 pages

Handwriting: Why, What and How

This document discusses handwriting instruction and provides guidance on why, what, and how to teach handwriting. It notes that handwriting is a complex skill requiring specific teaching and practice. It should be taught to allow students to effectively communicate through writing. The document recommends: - Teaching letter formation with an explicit multisensory approach and daily practice - Introducing writing between lines only after letter formation is automated - Monitoring individual student progress and providing early intervention for writing difficulties - Using supportive activities to develop functional handwriting skills rather than worksheets

Uploaded by

Muhammad IzWan Afiq
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Handwriting

Why, What and How

NAP leaders
Thursday 9 June 2011
Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

With acknowledgement of the work of Dian Jones and her kind permission to use some of her material

And acknowledging the collegiate work with Andrea Barker, Programs and Resources, Birth 8, Literacy Secretariat

Handwriting is a difficult, complex task that requires specific teaching and is learned during years of practice. It should be a tool to produce written text to communicate individual ideas and knowledge, not a frustrating and seemingly endless struggle leading to failure (Gould, 1991).

Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

Why Teach Handwriting?


It is a means of communication The ability to handwrite remains an important skill Research shows that students who have automaticity with their letter formation are better spellers and they produce better quality written work. Students who write poorly see their failure every day It is easier to modify skills while a student is learning accurate handwriting than to change once the child has developed inaccurate formations

Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

What is Handwriting?
The production of legible, correctly formed letters by hand Use of a writing tool, holding it properly, to create letters, words and sentences to convey meaning to others It is not just a fine motor activity, but A complex activity that involves the rapid and precise mobilization and synchronization of multiple brain functions, strategies, academic skills and thought processes.

Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

Established hand preference and the ability to cross the midline of the body Intrinsic hand movement to ensure flexible pen manipulation Distal control to ensure wrist flexion without shoulder movement Simultaneous flexion and extension of fingers to produce pen strokes Flexible pen grip (usually dynamic tripod) to ensure writing endurance can be maintain

Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

Producing functional writing Plan & generate ideas Translate ideas into language to be written Transcribe into orthographic codes (text) Monitor spelling and grammatical processes while writing Review at the word, sentence and discourse levels

Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

What is Handwriting?
The production of legible, correctly formed letters by hand Use of a writing tool, holding it properly, to create letters, words and sentences to convey meaning to others It is not just a fine motor activity, but A complex activity that involves the rapid and precise mobilization and synchronization of multiple brain functions, strategies, academic skills and thought processes. It is not the mirror image of reading
Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

When to Teach Handwriting?


Emergent drawing and writing skills are crucial in the development of handwriting intervention at the first sign of interest in writing Handwriting should be taught and developed in all years of school. Build into all curriculum areas and teaching and learning cycles

Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

What to Teach in Handwriting?


Appropriate pencil grip, paper placement, and posture Correct letter and numeral formation (order of introduction) Automaticity - writing from memory (alphabet 100/min for HS)

Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

Automated skills
Non-automated Controlled search Processing is slow, effortful and deliberate Tire easily: requires conscious attention One task at a time Automated Processing is fast, effortless and operates unconsciously Enables higher order thinking as two or more tasks can operate simultaneously

Automated skills are not just faster and more accurate, but are actually processed differently in the brain from unfamiliar tasks (Raichle, 1994)

Working memory capacity


Working memory enables information to be held in memory temporarily while processing it, working with it, or integrating it with other information Children may be unable to meet the multiple demands imposed by the writing process (McCutchen, 1996)

Working memory overload


Thinking of alphabetic order while writing letters Spelling single words / spelling same words in written language Can I print my spelling? Writing between lines Copying from bb/wb Endurance Emotional influence

What to Teach in Handwriting?


Appropriate pencil grip, paper placement, and posture Correct letter and numeral formation (order of introduction) Automaticity - writing from memory alphabet (100/min for HS) Introduce writing between lines only once the student has automated letter formation and skilled pencil control Only teach linked script once the student has a fluid and confident print script

Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

Complexity of cursive
Writing more than single letter formations involves parallel processing in addition to sequential processing because upcoming letters need to be cognitively prepared in advance while concurrently executing the preceding letters (Graham, 1998) When writing in cursive script (joined), it is necessary to plan ahead for the upcoming letters while writing the current letter This results in Working Memory overload for some students (McCutchen, 1996)

What to Teach in Handwriting?


Appropriate pencil grip, paper placement, and posture Correct letter and numeral formation (order of introduction) Automaticity - writing from memory alphabet (100/min for HS) Introduce writing between lines only once the student has automated letter formation and skilled pencil control Only teach linked script once the student has a fluid and confident print script Establishment of an automated use of one style that is the most fluent, functional script for each student Automated word writing
Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

How to Teach Handwriting?


Use of a multisensory approach Small group, monitored sessions with a particular focus Explicit instruction in letter formation (start at 2 oclock, around up and down) - with link to letter sounds (a) Modelling see what strokes form the letters and how Daily modeled and guided activities with frequent and consistent practice
Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

Learning automated handwriting


Declarative knowledge (letter names and sounds) acquired quickly, easily modified Procedural knowledge (letter formations, scripts) acquired slowly, is difficult to modify if the process is inaccurate Processing These two types of knowledge are stored separately adding to complexity of producing handwriting

How to Teach Handwriting?


Use of a multisensory approach Small group, monitored sessions with a particular focus Explicit instruction in letter formation (around up and down) with link to letter sounds (a) Modelling see what strokes form the letters and how Daily modeled and guided activities with frequent and consistent practice Monitor individual progress and learning needs taking into account the neurodevelopment of individual students Early specific intervention provided to students with a writing difficulty from week one

Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

How to Teach Handwriting?


Use of supportive, developmentally appropriate, activities Experiences in producing functional handwritten language (not just in handwriting lessons) Development of self review and celebration of success NO worksheets except as a consolidation of skills well learned

Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

Visual association
Children can often think of what shape the letter looks like to assist memory

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

22

Learning letter formations without pencil control

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

Kinaesthetic air writing: memory & monitoring

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

24

Multi-sensory cues to guide correct letter formations

Large letters enable a teacher to view many students while writing

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

25

Active letter learning

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

26

Drive the car on the letter track

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

27

Vertical position for writing letter with paint brush/large felt pens

28

Ready for painting

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

29

Vertical position using large felt pens

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

30

Letter formation, fine motor skills & patterning

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

31

Individual alphabet games


Find a letter, match capital & small, put in order

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

32

Assess skill speed & accuracy

33

Students set expectations


Grade Curriculum guide 1984 Present guide Present guide Present guide Lowercase Alternate Word then lowercase writing upper case and uppercase

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Not suggested

26+ 35 45 60 65 75 85 30 40 55 60 65 75 40 55 70 80 90 105
34

30 40 50 60 70 80

Beginning spelling games without writing

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

35

1. Writing the alphabet in order in one minute 2. Writing the alphabet alternating upper-case and lower-case letters requires more cognitive attention 3. Writing automated words from memory

dian.jones @deta.qld.gov.au

36

Literacy Secretariat
Literacy is everyones business

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