Sheldon Horrowitz: 'The unexpected connection between handwriting and learning to read'
Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 4:02 pm
With so many people downplaying the importance of handwriting nowadays, it's great to see another article supporting the teaching and practice of handwriting as part of an appropriate multisensory approach to learning to read - making connections:
https://www.understood.org/en/community ... erstoodorgThe Unexpected Connection Between Handwriting and Learning to Read
Expert Corner blog post by Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D.
Sep 24, 2018
In Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World, Maryanne Wolf talks about how technology has led to more skimming rather than reading slowly and carefully. She talks about the benefits of “cognitive patience.” And she reminds us that reading quickly isn’t what makes someone a good reader.
I think something similar holds true for handwriting.
Just because keyboarding is faster doesn’t mean it’s better. Yes, students with dyslexia and other learning issues may be able to write more easily on a computer than by hand. But that doesn’t mean we should abandon handwriting.
My view: Let’s give our kids every opportunity to thrive as readers and writers. They can use screens and devices and all sorts of technology. But let’s also keep pens and pencils handy. Doing the slow, often difficult work of practicing handwriting can help kids become better readers and writers.