Why joined up writing

And those with physical impairments have long used technology to record their thoughts. For now, there isn't an international consensus. And with many hours of classroom time spent on traditional cursive writing, the benefits, some argue, may not be worth it. Can a computer write like you? Image source, Getty Images. For centuries, children have spent hours on special joined handwriting lessons - but do we need them?

Goodbye writing. Developing style. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Some classrooms have begun teaching students handwriting on iPads and iPods. What your handwriting says about you Can a computer write like you? Slow and steady. Speed has been shown to increase attention span during writing.

This increases continuity and fluidity in writing, which in turn encourages greater amounts of writing. Improved fine motor skills. Through repetition the children begin to understand how much force needs to be applied to the pencil and paper, the positioning of the pencil to paper at the correct angle, and motor planning to form each letter in fluid motion from left to right. This physical and spatial awareness allows them to write, but more importantly, builds the neural foundation of sensory skills needed for a myriad of everyday tasks such as buttoning, fastening, tying shoes, picking up objects, copying words from blackboards, and most importantly, reading.

Increased retention. The act of taking notes by hand instead of on a computer encourages a student to process the content and reframe it, which leads to better understanding and retention. Studies indicate that college students remembered information better one week later when they transcribed a paragraph in cursive than when they printed it or used a keyboard.

Ease of learning. So don't go crazy! You'll want to stick with familiar print letter forms and make as few changes to your letters and words as possible. Consider the following suggestions before you make any decisions:. How many differences can you find??? Which letter forms do you prefer? Right here and now you're going to decide which letter forms you'll use before you decide which letters you'll join to and from and which letters you won't join!

Why not make your decisions as you link letters while writing the alphabet. Did you get some clarity? Now write out the sentence above as you try out the letter forms you've chosen. Make your final decision on which letter forms you prefer based on two things. Choose the style you enjoy writing and enjoy looking at! Join as many letters as possible, but don't worry about joining every letter.

Joins begin where the previous letter ends, and end where the next letter begins. You can sometimes get a more readable word by breaking it in a place where it's hard to create a good join. For example, the letter x is difficult to join from, since your end point in on the inside of the word.

In addition, the letter z is difficult to join to, because it begins in an awkward place. Keep the same guidelines you learned there in mind when joining letters. So half a letter 'o' between letters within words, and a full letter 'o' between words. There is less opportunity for any kind of handwriting these days. So a little practice with this fast, efficient handwriting style can sharpen your skills and prepare you for all occasions when nice, neat, quick handwriting is required.

Linking letters leads makes handwriting a more fluid rhythmic process. Now you've decided what letter styles you prefer, and what joins you'll need to use, it's time to practice your joined up writing! When I first entered learning support, I thought that the added flair of cursive writing would be too complicated for those who struggled with the basic formation of letters.

However, the truth is that printed letters are often formed very similarly and, as such, cause great confusion for some learners. Conversely, cursive letters are all formed with their own unique signature flicks and curves: helpful for those with learning needs, such as dyslexia and dysgraphia, who can reap great benefit from the more fluid movement of joined-up writing. What are the best ways to teach cursive, then? I believe that the secret to success is to start young.

First impressions matter and a person writing with beautiful penmanship will make a better first impression than one who writes in an illegible scrawl. Having seen first-hand the pride in perfect presentation that cursive encourages, I feel sure that introducing all students to this style of writing would be greatly beneficial. Of course, all pupils are unique and teachers will know best whether or not cursive writing is worth persevering with for the individual.

Cursive can increase speed of writing and legibility; it can improve spelling and fine motor skills; it can avoid the irregular spacing often seen in the first few years of primary school; it can teach self-discipline and determination and increase self-confidence — but this is not always the case. Sometimes the frustrations of trying to master the writing form can ultimately be too much for a child.

That said, giving pupils the chance to experiment with a style that may well suit them best is surely worthwhile. The one thing that we can be per cent sure of is that giving it a go will cause no harm at all.