I'm left-handed. Which means when I was younger in elementary school I struggled to follow the 'handwriting' lessons.
It all seemed to be going the wrong way! It was frustrating to smear the ink, or lead from the pencil. It was painstakingly slow for me to copy, create or even fill in the tiny blanks. Oh what I would have given for some technology then! I don't consider myself as having a Learning Disability because of my handedness, but I have seen a wide variety of students struggle with the writing process...mostly boys, but perhaps that is another topic for another post. As I look around my class now I see at least 5 students (about 20%) who would qualify as having Dysgraphia. They have difficulty with; neatness and consistency of writing, accurately copying letters and words, spelling consistency, and organization and coherence. This is a broad definition because dysgraphia takes many forms. (Dyslexic, Motor, Spatial, Phonological, and Lexical) So what do I do for them? Not enough...because there is an emotional component that is very hard to address with students. Their self-esteem takes a beating every time they are asked to produce pencil and paper work. However I make use of as much technology as I can and I let them see that I am not the neatest printer or writer in the world and that's ok.
Here's what I use when they just have to produce written work.
Word Processors - netbooks, chrome books, desktop computers, AlphaSmarts
Digital Recorders - iPads, phones, iPods
Spell Checkers - online dictionaries, teach how to use spell check in applications such as Pages, Docs, Word etc.
Speech to Text Software - Dragon, Read & Write, Audio Note, Quick Voice
Word Completion and Word Prediction - teach how to use in applications as noted above
Grammar Check and Proof Reading - applications and editing partners
I meet more and more people that argue that 'handwriting' is a dying art. Technology is replacing the need to learn cursive writing. I like to think of it as an art form with a history and a purpose. Before the Grade 5 curriculum change I used to make it part of the Ancient Civilizations unit. I still teach my students how to do each letter and most importantly how to read it.
What do you think? Is handwriting a necessary skill? What about printing? Should we insist on a certain amount of it from each student?
I hate to go on about my grandson but, he is the only student I know well enough to comment on. If he did not have to go through the printing process, life would be much easier. He is that clumsy kid that does not concentrate and frustrates easy. Nathan is well spoken and can articulate words far beyond his years yet, he is unable to read at 9 years old. I would like to work on this with him this summer, if he will let me and you have given me many tools to work with. Thanks so much
ReplyDeleteIn answering the questions .... I believe printing is needed for recognition of letters in making words that form sentences. Small motors skills can develop from other tasks besides handwritting as in the future, we may only ever write out our signature. Letter recognition may be difficult for many students ...add to that a student who stuggles with a pencil and the task becomes quite frustrating. Are we able to teach a student to read and avoid this kind of frustration by using technology tools?
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting post Patricia. I love how you incorporated all these suggestions but there are also very difficult questions to address here. I also really liked how you talked about student's self esteem and being left handed. I recently encountered a student in JK who refused to write because he was embarrassed that he used his other hand. Once my teaching partner showed him that she writes left handed and worked with him, he has made such progress!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it! I, not surprisingly, have a soft spot for lefties. I love all the research about whether or not we 'think' differently. And of course, statistics such as, '5 of the last 7 American presidents have been left-handed', should make us think twice (perhaps with both sides of our brain)!
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