Handwriting: The Need for Good Handwriting

Objective

To determine the purpose of having good handwriting and why it is crucial in literacy education for young learners and their brain development.

Abstract

In recent times, the importance of handwriting has received a low rank and status in literacy development, with teaching instructors, legislators, and research scholars paying scant attention to its value. This article identifies the need for good handwriting in the teaching of literacy and its benefit to the development of a child’s brain. This could have a favorable impact on the success of students who struggle with writing throughout their academic years.

The study emphasizes the significance of learners possessing proper handwriting techniques, a necessary skill in their educational pursuit. Learning to handwrite is critical because it facilitates a learner’s complex motor and cognitive skills and improves reading competency by activating visual stimuli on letters.

The greater focus on instructing and reinforcing good handwriting skills on students beginning at an early stage in their academic journey can benefit most of them, including those with learning disabilities, which may include impairments in reading and writing, non-verbal and attention deficit problems (Cornhill & Case-Smith, 1996). Because good handwriting has a positive effect on academic results, it is an indicator of achievement in other areas of study.

Cursive writing style or manuscript (print) are the handwriting techniques that every school-age child should learn despite the recent trends in technology (Schwellnus et al. 2012). Making a choice on which style of written summary to use for teaching instruction has always been a source of contention for decades and is expected to be so today. Spear-Swerling (2006) claims that at some point, instructors taught the manuscript writing style to first-grade learners, while later on in third-grade, teachers introduced cursive writing. She points out that there is no evidence that cursive is simpler to adopt than manuscript, and there are definite benefits to having youngsters concentrate on a writing style that is akin to what they must study in print. Learners should be able to utilize at least one type to create coherent, relatively straightforward writing, and teaching should focus on the form that seems to have the best chance of achieving that goal, especially for older learners with reading and writing challenges.

Qualitative Methodology

A case study was conducted by the United Kingdom’s National Handwriting Association (2010) on a 10-year-old learner called EL who had been expelled from school due to bad behavior and had been receiving academic learning assistance at the Adolescent Multi-Agency Support Service (AMASS) because of his Severe Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties (SEBD). Despite his reading being proper for his age, he had issues with writing fluency and an overall aversion to writing. A handwriting professional analyzed him at the center, where he was put through a series of tests on his writing’s pace and coherence and visual perception exercises.

Results/Findings

EL was observed to have problems with handling a pencil, underdeveloped drawing skills, and poor handwriting. In addition to a lack of fluidity in his writing, He showed hesitation before writing every alphabet, implying either issue visualizing the shape or difficulties interpreting the visual into a motor pattern showing signs of dysgraphia. This is a learning issue caused by the brain that affects an individual’s writing (Smits-Engelsman & Van Galen, 1997).

After EL’s intervention and help from the National Handwriting Association, he could finally write fluently. The handwriting effort improved his self-esteem, but it also made him more open to instructions. Improvements in his conduct were seen as his penmanship changed.

Conclusion

Developing good handwriting boosts a child’s brain development hence can help learners with learning disabilities such as attention deficit disorders, and dysgraphia, for example, EL, because handwriting practice connects the auditory and linguistic areas (Smits-Engelsman & Van Galen, 1997). This improves their focus and attention.

Reflexes and muscle control improve due to handwriting because each letter written requires unique hand-eye coordination. Ability to write in cursive is an essential skill for cognitive growth (Bazerman, 2009).It stimulates the brain to use different neural circuits for various activities through constant writing and practice, which helps with overall productivity while also enhancing brain development and progression.

REFERENCES

Bazerman, C. (2009). Genre and cognitive development: Beyond writing to learn. Pratiques. Linguistique, littérature, didactique, (143-144), 127-138.

Cornhill, H., & Case-Smith, J. (1996). Factors that relate to good and poor handwriting. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 50(9), 732-739.

National Handwriting Association., (2010). Case Study: EL – Aged 10. Retrieved from: https://nha-handwriting.org.uk/handwriting/case-studies/case-study-el-aged-10/

Schwellnus. H., Cameron. D., Carnahan. H., (2012). Which to Choose: Manuscript or Cursive Handwriting? A Review of Literature. Journal of Occupational Therapy Schools & Early Intervention, 5(3-4):248-258

Smits-Engelsman, B. C., & Van Galen, G. P. (1997). Dysgraphia in children: Lasting psychomotor deficiency or transient developmental delay? Journal of experimental child psychology, 67(2), 164-184.

Spear-Swerling, L., (2006). The Importance of Teaching Handwriting. Retrieved from: https://www.readingrockets.org/article/importance-teaching-handwriting