Simplifying Handwriting Instruction for the 21st Century

Schools in America have apportioned more and more content to their daily programs without extending the length of the school day and without eliminating the time spend addressing areas of past concern. In order to deliver the most effective educational program possible, curriculum needs to be examined periodically to eliminate those subjects which have outlived their usefulness. Increased use of communication-related technologies and a renewed emphasis on writing as meaningful communication has made this an appropriate time to reevaluate the teaching of handwriting or penmanship. The position advanced in this paper is that an emphasis should be placed on teaching a single form of orthography which is flexible enough to be perceived as similar to printed text and simple enough to last through the school years. Two of the manuscript styles discussed--D'Nealian and italics--allow for an easy transition to cursive should students, schools, or school districts opt to have a course, like calligraphy, to teach a cursive form at a later date. Similar positions regarding handwriting instruction have been taken in the past (Hildreth, 1960, 1963; Duvall, 1985; Moore, 1985). However, the practice of teaching both manuscript and cursive forms of handwriting is still widespread in today's schools and is still advanced in language arts textbooks as an integral part of preservice instruction (Norton, 1993). Why Teach Handwriting? Even with the expansion of communication-related technologies (e.g., pen-based interfaces, laptop computers, cordless telephones, telephone answering systems, and voice-activated tape recorders), handwriting instructions remains secure in the elementary curriculum. Handwriting is essential when individuals need to (a) quickly write short notes to friends, family, or business associates, (b) take notes at business meetings, (c) complete business or application forms, (d) write responses to school assignments, and (e) jot down reminders to themselves. Handwriting instruction is essential whenever one intends to communicate information effortlessly and legibly to an anticipated audience. In recent years, educators have recognized that all components of writing should focus on the process of communicating information. Graves (1978) states: Children want to write. They want to put down ideas, tell stories, record information, make signs, or act out experiences through their writing. They are more interested in their own marks on paper than the marks of others. But, for many, the handwriting struggle is so great that their important, self-centered objectives are lost. However, the current practice of teaching both manuscript and cursive forms in the primary grades appears to impede this function by complicating rather than simplifying the writing process. Historical Perspective It is clear that the prevalent handwriting style taught in schools has been simplified over the years in order to meet the needs of a constantly changing society. During the Renaissance, scribes imitated and modified Greek and Roman print styles. They did this, on the one hand, for pure artistic reasons and, on the other, to develop a handwriting style which could be used for such endeavors as bookkeeping and notetaking (Eaton, 1985). Penmanship was first included as part of the school curriculum only after the practice of turning writing over to these scribes became an obsolete practice. American colonists did not develop their own handwriting books. They relied on a number of copybooks designed by the English during the 17th century. These copybooks generally modeled highly ornate Roman letters and remained part of the school curriculum until after the American Revolution (Eaton, 1985). Beginning in the 1800s, standardized methods of handwriting were developed by Americans, dominated early by the Spencerian method. In 1848, Spencer published a penmanship style manual for teaching cursive entitled Spencerian Key to Practical Penmanship. …