Practical Tips For Teachers
Learning to write should first and foremost be fun. But what is the best way to teach pupils this, and how do you help them develop their own handwriting? STABILO expert Dr. Christian Marquardt provides some tips for teachers on how they can support their pupils learning to write.
Support Individual Abilities
A flowing rhythm is the hallmark of well-learned and practiced writing. Efficient, legible writing is more important than copying exact shapes. Good writers bring their own personality to their writing. That’s why each pupil should have the opportunity to bring their own abilities to the process of learning to write from the very beginning.
Learn from Mistakes
Learning is most effective when it’s playful. Rules that are too rigid are an obstacle to learning. That’s why teachers should allow children room for creativity and experiencing things for themselves. We only learn to walk by falling down. Mistakes should be discussed with children and their origins should be explored together. Little quirks, however, should be accepted, as everyone develops their own writing style sooner or later.
Introduce Pre-Writing Exercises
Pre-writing exercises should form part of learning to write letters, and should not just be practiced separately. The fine motor skills contained in these pre-writing exercises can then be applied specifically to writing letters. For example, looping curls and letters can be written alternatively at the same speed. It’s important to then talk to the children about their experiences and establish the connection between the looping curls and the correct writing.
Practice Creatively
Personal boundaries are best found through creative writing. Experiences with different shapes, sizes and speeds help children understand the quirks of writing. If the children have a lot of variety, they can best understand the difference.
Use Imagination and Mental Images
Images can be helpful in drawing pupils’ attention to good work or problem areas. Children’s minds work with pictures to a large extent, and this helps them to understand things easily. If a child is using too much pressure when writing, it may help to use the image of “the pen floating across the paper”, for example. For practicing faster writing, the pen can “whiz across the paper”.
Create New Shapes from Familiar Ones
In order to make writing easier for children in the beginning, letters can be created from shapes they are already familiar with and are already able to make. An “O” has the same shape as an Easter egg, or a “P” can be a line and half a ball. These simple shapes can already be written and do not have to be laboriously copied.
Find the Right Posture
Writing is a complex movement involving the hand, arm and shoulder. Teachers should make sure that the hand and arm position of the child when writing does not lead to cramping. While the shoulder is also needed, the entire upper body is not. The hand and elbow should not push down on the surface when writing. The hand should move freely, to support flowing writing. If pupils encounter difficulties, these should be addressed and tackled together with the children.
The Correct Grip
The best position for the pen to be held is between the forefinger and thumb. This grip is supported by the middle finger. Hand and finger joints should be in a central position, to allow more freedom of movement. If the joints are in an unusual position, the muscles will cramp. If, however, the fingers are able to move freely, writing becomes much more relaxed.