"Handwriting instruction" means the act of teaching and learning how to write with a pen or pencil, making the letters of the alphabet in a neat and legible way.
Full definition
Early years classroom practitioners need to devote more time to teaching writing, including
explicit handwriting instruction, according to research findings from an Australian study.
Instruction in cursive has been declining since the 1970s, and many teacher education programs don't
address handwriting instruction, thereby isolating the skill from its most natural advocates.
The Common Core State Standards, adopted by 42 states and the District of Columbia, call
for handwriting instruction in kindergarten and first grade only, and teaching in keyboard skills after that.
Martirano said the new standards, dubbed the West Virginia College - and Career - Readiness Standards, would be more rigorous than the current standards, and include additions like required
cursive handwriting instruction and calculus standards.
Steve Graham, an education professor at Arizona State University and one of the top U.S. experts
on handwriting instruction, said he has heard every argument for and against cursive.
Teacher's guides provide support for integrating reading (e.g., encoding and decoding) and writing skills (e.g., composing words, sentences, and paragraphs)
with handwriting instruction and include engaging and developmentally appropriate activities at each grade level.
If you have been giving dashed - line alphabetical - order handwriting worksheets to your students, consider upgrading
your handwriting instruction to include research - based best practices.
Across grade levels,
handwriting instruction is provided in 15 - minute periods that integrate learning to write with instruction in other subjects, particularly language arts.