Date of Award
Summer 2007
Document Type
Education 589 Project
Degree Name
Master of Education
Department
Education
Department Chair
Brenda E. Vogel
Major or Concentration
Education
Abstract
Having taught students Language Arts from 2nd grade through sophomore year of high school, I have encountered numerous samples of handwriting, with great variance in their legibility. It has caused me frustration as a beginning teacher trying to decipher what has actually been written and just what the student was trying to convey to myself, as their teacher. In some cases I have graded a spelling test, marked words incorrect because I could not read the letters in the word. But then, because I felt that the student has mastered the spelling of a given word, I had the student spell the word orally and it was correct. Being a special education educator, I take the time to recheck spelling words with a student if I feel they know them, before assigning their grade. I would not have the luxury of time if I were a regular education classroom teacher with 25 students. Handwriting is the primary way that elementary students have to communicate their knowledge to their teachers, but if the teachers cannot read the writing, both the teacher and student are viewing an inaccurate picture of the students' knowledge.
Recommended Citation
Rutter, Cathleen, "Handwriting: Should Formal Instruction in Handwriting Be Taught to Elementary Students?" (2007). Education 589 Projects. 22.
https://scholar.umw.edu/education_589/22
Included in
Elementary Education Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons