How do you improve your handwriting?

How to Improve Handwriting?

• I'm tutoring an 8th grader and his handwriting and spelling is illegible. I really think that once he improves his handwriting we can work on his speeling an the way he takes notes, and then his overall organization. How can we improve his handwriting at this stage? I know if I make him do worksheets over and over he'll hate it and won't learn that way.

• Answer:

  Unfortunately good penmanship is exactly what you don't want to do (use work sheets). Many years ago, school taught penmanship using the Palmer method. This is nothing more than practice, practice, practice, etc, on work sheets using the hand and wrist. This in turns negates using just only the fingers to write. Making circles and verticals within lines by using the wrist/hand was the main requirement. You say he'll hate it and won't learn. Sorry, I disagree. We all do things we don't like to do (hating it) but we do learn despite the "hate". The rote method is old fashion, but effective. The main problem as I see it is that today's youngsters are "given" everything and want them to be easy/simple. Something that requires some work goes against their previous learning, especially at home. My daughter is a Master Teacher of dysfunction children with no help from parents and I know whereof I speak. Not only with writing, but in learning mathematics as well.