For some adults, handwriting is a pensum. This was the case of Nolwenn, 25, who found his handwriting childish and difficult to read. As far back as she can remember, writing has never been fun. However, confinement was an opportunity for her to successfully rehabilitate her writing gesture.
We often hear that beyond primary school, it is too late for re-education in writing. However, the issue raised depends much more on the nature of the difficulties than on the age of the person. We even observe very often that the re-education of writing is rapid and effective in adolescents or young adults who are strongly involved.
Personal motivation, a winning asset to change writing
It was a new professional challenge that prompted Nolwenn to undertake writing remediation at La Manuscrite in Nouméa. Endowed with incredible determination, Nolwenn had a specific objective: to be able to write – within two months – a high-quality handwritten application file. Only two sessions were necessary for Nolwenn to achieve his goal. And even beyond, since his candidacy was accepted!
Intense training is necessary for the automation of the gesture
In addition to a clear goal, Nolwenn has chosen her schedule to rehabilitate. Met just before confinement, she took advantage of this period at home to train for thirty minutes every day. Thus, thanks to the regularity of her work, she took on new writing habits. She corrected her posture, adopted an effective pencil outfit and rectified her support. His writing gesture is now fast, readable and above all comfortable.
Posture and pencil holding are also relearned in adulthood
Like many students, Nolwenn was unaware that you had to tilt your support to write. She kept her sheet straight, facing her, and broke her wrist 1 on the writing line. She held her pencil with four fingers, very close to the mine, with excessive pressure on the middle finger. Unsurprisingly, Nolwenn’s writing was laborious and painful. His speed barely exceeded that of a 5th grader, but today his movement is flexible and quick.
Cursive writing is traced in a continuous movement
Nolwenn’s writing gesture was also interrupted by unnecessary pencil lifts. Now, cursive writing 2 is writing drawn “by handwriting”. The letters combine with each other in a fluid movement. Nolwenn had great writing potential but no way to let it run on paper. We therefore worked on the rhythm and continuity of the gesture as well as on the formation of certain letters.
Handwriting progress of an adult woman after a graphopaedagogy session.
After a session of graphopedagogy and 30 minutes of daily training for a month, Nolwenn’s writing is more regular, his gesture comfortable.
Two sessions later: writing speed has increased by 20 letters per minute, readability is incomparable. It remains for Nolwenn to continue his work on the supports and the movement of the arm to “ventilate” his writing.
We find here all the ingredients not of a dysgraphia but of an incomplete initial learning. Paper position, pencil holding, letter formation are not innate gestures. Unconscious in adults, they are nevertheless the result of rigorous learning that must be carried out from the start of primary school. It is only once in college, after years of practice in writing, that students begin to automate their graphomotor gesture. It therefore takes time and a lot of practice to become a good writer.
The teaching of handwriting is prepared from kindergarten with the learning of good pencil holding.
The learning of writing is prepared from kindergarten with specific teaching of holding a pencil. Here, this tall little girl does not hold her tool correctly.
Teaching handwriting, an educational emergency
As we have seen, improving your handwriting is still possible in adulthood. However, we know that writing facilitates learning. Writing well helps to read well, strengthens memorization, structures thought, frees creativity. Conversely, a poor command of handwriting in primary school is often correlated with a difficult school career. It is therefore urgent to restore all its place to the teaching of handwriting in our school system.
1 – Broken wrist: This position is also found in left-handed people who have not learned to shift and tilt their sheet: shift to the left to move the sheet away from the chest, tilt to the right, in line with the arm, to place hand under the writing line. Straight sheets and notebook, encourage left-handed children to break the wrist above the writing line to see what they are writing and not to smudge the ink.
2 – Cursive writing: from the Latin currere which means to run, a writing drawn “by hand”.
This book was written by a graphopedagogue, former school teacher and founding member of the 5E association (Teaching of Writing for Pupils, Students and Teachers). Extremely clear and abundantly illustrated, “Writing well and loving writing” is intended for teachers, educators, parents, as well as paramedical professionals who remedy writing disorders. A few private remedial lessons in writing can overcome many difficulties. To make an appointment: click here.