Indiana latest US state to drop handwriting requirement

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debbie
Posts: 2596
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 2:28 pm
Location: UK

Indiana latest US state to drop handwriting requirement

Post by debbie »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14121541

I totally applaud the teaching of touch-typing for our primary children in our modern world. This was one of the best skills that I ever acquired and it didn't take that long to learn.

I think it is a mistake, however, not to teach primary students joined-up writing.

You can teach a straightforward style extremely quickly and effectively - it doesn't need to take up much of the timetable.

Whilst there are full handwriting programmes available, I think these are needlessly convoluted - and pupils sometimes copy the joined writing practice only during the handwriting lesson - and then revert to their usual printed style.

Try this style - I've found it enormously successful and very quick to teach:

http://www.phonicsinternational.com/Joi ... riting.pdf

Indiana - don't give up on teaching joined handwriting! :(
Debbie Hepplewhite
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debbie
Posts: 2596
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 2:28 pm
Location: UK

Post by debbie »

Ha - this issue made the BBC TV news this morning! :wink:

The thing is, so many teachers seem to believe that teaching handwriting, and joined handwriting, takes a lot of teaching - and is not often successful - because they don't have a good teaching method and/or the following teachers do not maintain the standards.

I view the teaching and learning of joined handwriting so positively because between my method, the style and the ethos supporting its importance, the students learn, learn quickly, enjoy learning - and see themselves in a very positive light when they soon succeed with their handwriting.

It makes all the subsequent activities which involve writing so much more pleasing for the students themselves and for the teachers.

There is always the argument, too, about 'kinaesthetic muscle memory' helping them with recalling the spellings and various graphemes.

So, my suggestion is that instead of schools abandoning the teaching of joined handwriting, they should get better at it! :wink:
Debbie Hepplewhite
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