A proven, fast and effective handwriting course for secondary school children
Many teenagers experience problems writing neatly and legibly and require intensive handwriting help!. Approximately 10-30% of children have difficulty mastering the skill of writing (Graham & Harris, 2005). Many pupils write so small or fast that it cannot be read and would benefit from an intensive handwriting course. Sometimes teachers perceive them to be lazy as they do not write enough. Sometimes, handwriting appears to be getting worse! By the time pupils reach secondary school, time to improve handwriting has stopped completely. Focus is all about core curriculum subjects leading up to exam choices.
The written word is vitally important, and it is not true that everyone in secondary school uses a tablet or computer. Teenagers still have to handwrite exam answers. Bad or illegible handwriting makes it difficult for markers and examiners to read and this results in the loss of marks and lower grades. It has been illustrated that, despite similar written content, lower marks were consistently assigned to students with poor handwriting in comparison to those with neater handwriting (Connelly, Campbell, MacLean & Barnes, 2006)
The Magic Link handwriting programme in 3 mornings
Handwriting is a complex process which must be taught in a clear and structured way. The 3- morning course is designed for secondary school pupils, providing intensive handwriting help. This enables them to go through the whole 30 step Magic Link handwriting programme in the shortest possible amount of time.
In order to achieve neat, legible, cursive handwriting the whole 30-step course must be completed. Each morning last 3 hours from 8.30am – 11.30am and includes a short break at half time.
Morning one:
This first morning involves learning a comfortable posture and pen grip. This helps to reduce any aches or pains in hands and fingers and acclimatise pupils to write longer passages.
Teenagers often write using letters which are the same height, thus making words hard to read. This requires immediate remediation. Letter height differentiations must be systematically rectify the crucial importance of height variations. During the first morning, cursive letter formation is introduced, beginning with the ‘a’ vowel in words and sentences. Homework handwriting practice is provided and must be completed.
Morning two:
The second morning teachers more vowel combinations and capital letters. Bad habits start to reduce, and the focus remains on simple, fluent letter directions. There are no unnecessary letter lead-ins or entry strokes, which slow pupils down. The simple Magic Link font also concentrates on speed, which is crucial for imparting information in examinations.
Morning three:
This final session shows pupils how to join vowels and form numbers. After that, there are a variety of consolidation exercises to reinforce legibility and speed. Most importantly, these tasks provide pupils with much needed confidence to transfer their newly learnt technique into schoolwork and examinations. Thus, providing fundamental strategies for life.
It is important to know that all teenagers are capable of improving their handwriting and never too late to learn! The Magic Link programme offers intensive handwriting help for secondary school children and teenagers enabling them to acquire fast and flowing, cursive handwriting. All pupils, whether right or left-handed are able to learn this essential life skill.
