Effective Communication through Handwriting - Term Paper Example

Contents Contents 1 Introduction 2 Handwriting Components 2 Handwriting Skills 3 Letter Formation 3 Methods of Introducing /Teaching Letter Formation 5 Developing a Handwriting Program 6 Handwriting in Context 7 Assessment 8 Conclusion 10 References 11 Effective Communication through Handwriting Introduction Handwriting is an imperative tool of communication. The skill is developed and perfected through practice. Learners are advised to be patient and flexible as one undergoes the writing process. In order to convey information, knowledge, feelings and ideas to others, an individual has to consider the five stages of the writing process. They include “planning, composing, recording, revising and publishing” (“A handwriting program,” n.d.). Handwriting is known to enhance communication by way of recording messages. The messages, however, have to fall within the limits of proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. It is only through these aspects of writing that the messages will be communicated effectively (Hodge, 2012). It is, therefore, important to point out that handwriting is greatly influenced by related attitudes, skills, knowledge and abilities that arise in the course of writing. Handwriting Components Skills and abilities ensure that an individual can easily coordinate his/her eyes and hand. The writer is able to follow the outlined sequence of movement to develop the desired or rather the correct shapes of letters. The legibility of handwriting is also determined by skills and abilities. A positive attitude is necessary to encourage a learner as he or she goes through the writing processes. The willingness and desire to try out different styles of writing are important. This is what results in personal styles of handwriting. Through the handwriting knowledge, a learner will definitely appreciate the fact that messages are usually conveyed through print. It is apparent that handwriting is one of the various skills in the writing process. An interesting fact is that similar writing techniques can easily generate various handwriting styles. It is also worth noting that the type of audience and purpose of writing greatly affect the choice of writing style and layout alike. Handwriting Skills It takes time to develop handwriting skills. The learner gains control handwriting patterns after a rigorous period of practice, demonstration and application of relevant contexts. At this point, all the related processes become automatic and can be used to convey effective communication. Letter Formation This crucial stage involves talking about the names, features and sounds relating to the letters in question. The idea of practicing letter formation enhances letter recognition in addition to developing motor and visual memories. These memories relate to the significant features of the respective letters. A learner is able to feel the formation of various letters just by looking and trying out the writing movement. This simple exercise helps fix the respective letter in the visual memory of a learner for future reference (Barbe, 1984). It is then that it can be identified and even reproduced. To form a letter, the leaner ought to consider the start and finishing points, strokes and the direction of motion. The other aspects to be considered are spacing, size, alignment, cursive style, slope, linking, writing speed and pen lifts. The proportionality of letter shapes is very important as it dictates the size of a letter. The relativity of height and width is easily maintained when the bodies, tails and heads are equally proportional. The purpose of writing and the overall size of the writing surface greatly influence the size of a letter. It is easier to develop larger letters as compared to smaller ones. This is with regard to the coordination of the hand, finger and arm. According to Hodge (2012), a well developed cursive technique is due to a little slope in the right direction. It is advisable that the learner adapts a consistent slope. This helps achieve uniformity and order in the array of letters. Proper spacing determines handwriting appearance and legibility as well. Spacing should be affected between words, lines of writing and within words. Alignment is achieved through proper positioning of letters and words alike. Proper alignment aids in giving a clear impression of a good handwriting. Cursive style is defined by a proper stroke sequence to develop consistent and legible handwriting. In this case, it is important to pay attention to letters that have exits in addition to their spacing. It is important to consider guidelines when linking up a group of letters. Awkward links should be avoided since the art of linking can be done naturally (“Handwriting Analysis,” n.d.). Linking of letters should not be as tasking. It is, therefore, not necessary to draw lines prior to the actual exercise of linking letters. The fact that letters remain the same should act as an encouragement to learners as it makes linking easier. However, there are simple rules that govern linking. Upper-case letters should not be linked with lower-case letters. Links should be developed on the basis of the starting point and movement direction. It is also advisable that linking should not interfere with the original shapes of letters. Developing links between letters is influenced by a flowing handwriting. In this case, it will be much easier to come up with reasonable links since the learner is comfortable with his or her handwriting. It is important to note that linking is best practiced using “small groups of letters as compared to individual letters” (“A handwriting program,” n.d.). Linking is easily achieved when the end of one letter is linked to the beginning of the following letter. It is interesting how events of ‘pen lifts’ occur even without the learner noticing. These are crucial moments to relax. Pen lifts contribute to the overall legibility of a learner’s handwriting. The rate of pen lifts is entirely dependent on an individual’s technique and style of writing. However, learners are not encouraged to make a pen lift when developing an individual letter (Hodge, 2012). Natural development of pen lifts is enhanced as the writer increases his/her speed of writing. Handwriting speed has its effects on the style of writing. This aspect of handwriting plays a significant role in the writing process. Handwriting elements such as legibility and proper link formations are affected by the speed of writing. Methods of Introducing /Teaching Letter Formation A handwriting program (n.d.) reveals that there are various approaches that can be used to introduce and teaching letter formation. They include graphological, phonological and the famous thematic/integrated approach. Each approach has its distinct merits as compared to the others. The graphological approach relies on the movement of finger and hand to come up with letters. The approach is commonly associated with learners who have challenged fine motor skills and, hence, more time to practice. The phonological approach tries to avoid the confusion of letters that look and sound similar, thus such letters are well taught. The thematic approach is achieved through a combination of the various aspects of the writing curriculum in order to establish enriched learning experiences. Learners find this type of approach rather interesting and valuable as it draws important lessons from various approaches (Barbe, 1984). This approach can start from any area within the writing curriculum. Developing a Handwriting Program An effective handwriting program is based on established objectives, an organized timetable, preferred styles and techniques of handwriting, contextualizing the handwriting, progress assessment using proper assessment techniques and finally evaluating the entire program (“A handwriting program,” n.d.). The program is supposed to work as a comprehensive guideline towards developing an appropriate technique of handwriting. The handwriting technique will, in turn, ensure that the learner produces his/her own fluent, legible and personal style of writing. The program should allow the learner to experiment different styles of handwriting (“Handwriting Analysis,” n.d.). It should ensure that practice is in line with the proper posture and placement of paper. At the end of the day, the learner should develop a handwriting style on the basis of attitudes, skills and abilities and knowledge with regard to the writing process. Learners are entitled to demonstration of the handwriting process by their respective educators. This is an effective element of teaching. Demonstrations reveal to a learner how possible it is to develop or improve on a particular handwriting style. It is, therefore, important to have a timetable to reasonably allocate all the resources needed for the writing process including time which is a limitation (“Handwriting,” n.d.). The timetable should incorporate writing practices, writing times for the entire class and small groups. The timetable should accommodate a variety of learning experiences for the benefit of learners. Learners should be exposed to an assortment of relevant writing surfaces, implements and publishing formats. A handwriting technique is described by the manner in which a learner holds the instrument of writing, body to paper position and the handwriting movement. The style of writing, on the other hand, is inclined towards the method of letter formation including how they are linked. The choice of these two aspects is very important. The various methods of holding a writing instrument (pencil) include the tripod grip, incomplete tripods and the palmar grasp. The sitting position is also very important as it influences the outcome of a handwriting process. The head should be positioned at a reasonable distance from the paper without straining. The back should be slightly flexed in the forward direction (“A handwriting program,” n.d.). The free hand should be used to stabilize the writing surface which should be slanted correctly. The learner’s bottom should be well positioned at the back of the chair. Finally, the feet should be flat on the ground with legs slightly apart. Handwriting in Context There are quite a number of strategies and approaches in the handwriting process but it solely depends on what the educator decides to use. It can either be through explicit of effective teaching. Explicit teaching is based on demonstrations, explanation and practice. This type of teaching is structured. It helps control and, therefore, prevent chances of poor handwriting. The relationship between letters and the writing base is clearly defined and, hence, easy to follow (Hodge, 2012). Lessons are usually based on a simple and clear focus. A metalanguage is usually necessary to explain shapes, start and end points, components and movement of letters. Demonstrations should have all the required materials. During demonstration, learners should be able to see. The educator should be in a position to give a comprehensive overview of the lesson so that the learner knows what to expect (“Handwriting,” n.d.). This promotes capturing the interest of the learner. The demonstration should be at a reasonable pace so that the learner can easily follow. Learners are encouraged to individually practice what they would have learnt during the demonstration. Interactive writing where learners and an educator are actively involved in the writing process has a well documented history of success. Learners have a chance to understand how to spell and write in an interactive manner. It is much easier to work with an individual or a small group as compared to the entire class. The smaller the group the easier it is to pay attention to the finer details of the writing process (“Handwriting,” n.d.). The learners, on the other hand, have an opportunity to clearly observe what is being demonstrated. Other types of writing include guided writing, independent writing and sharing time. Assessment This is a very crucial stage of the writing process since it presents a good opportunity for the educators to evaluate their work with respect to the learners. In the course of the writing process, learners will adapt differently to skills, abilities, attitudes and knowledge of handwriting that they would have acquired. The legibility of any handwriting greatly relies upon behavior and skills of writing (“Handwriting Analysis,” n.d.). The areas to assess in this case include prior writing preparations, consistent letter formation, ease and speed of writing. The quality of letter formation should also be checked. This is in line with that start and end points and the direction of writing. The elements of consistency in any handwriting include spacing, shape, size and slope. The aesthetic appeal of an individual’s handwriting is brought out through its legibility. An attractive handwriting is not only pleasing to the eye of the viewer but can also be read easily (“Handwriting,” n.d.). Fluency of writing is achieved through practice. The assessment will be on the basis of legibility, aesthetic value of the handwriting, fluency and speed. The regular intervals of assessment will depend on the needs of the learner. The various assessment techniques that can be used include ongoing observation (keeping progressive records), peer assessment (among learners), product analysis (checklist) and conferencing. Conclusion It is evident that there are quite a number of aspects that need to be considered in order to effectively communicate through handwriting. It takes patience, dedication and focus to work through a writing process. It is, therefore, important to strive to develop a good handwriting on the basis of legibility, consistency, letter formation, aesthetic appeal, speed and fluency. References Barbe, W. (1984). Handwriting: Basic Skills for Effective Communication. New York: Zaner Bloser. Burrowmoor.net. (n.d.). Handwriting. Retrieved 28 May 2012 from http://www.burrowmoor.net/school/policies/handwriting.htm. Hodge, L. (2012). Handwriting Analysis as a Shortccut to Understanding and Success. Retrieved 28 May 2012 from http://handwritinguniversity.com/newsletters/091604.html. Quick Peek. (n.d.). Handwriting Analysis. Museum Science Industry. Retrieved 29 May 2012 from http://www.msichicago.org/fileadmin/Education/learninglabs/lab_downloads/handwritinganalysis.pdf. Sacsa.sa.edu.au. (n.d.). A handwriting program. Retrieved 29 May 2012 from http://www.sacsa.sa.edu.au/ATT/%7B21AB4BA7-0C50-4F6E-9600-2F699503E1E2%7D/4HSACAHandwriting.pdf. Read More