Gwendolyn · handwriting · Karin James · Reading and spelling tests versus SATs

Why the pen is mightier than the keyboard

  There’s a very interesting article in the TES by Adi Bloom this week (14th October 2011) about handwriting. In it Mr Beswick from Greave Primary school in Stockport is quoted as arguing strongly that handwriting is redundant and that keyboard skills are the future. On the other hand, Mr Gibbons of Nettlesham Junior school… Continue reading Why the pen is mightier than the keyboard

handwriting · The Guardian · Umberto Eco

Umberto echoes my fondness for the fountain pen.

What I remember Umberto Eco for best – and, my goodness, I enjoyed The Name of the Rose – is a long-forgotten piece he wrote on the Bond novels. On reading said piece, I was amazed to see that, apart from The Spy Who Loved Me, all the others conformed to a strict structural pattern. I’d… Continue reading Umberto echoes my fondness for the fountain pen.

DCSF · handwriting · Support for Spelling · Teachers TV

Handwriting and spelling

This posting arises out of a couple of things I’ve seen recently. The first is very nice piece of video from Teachers TV on the way handwriting is taught in France. The second is intended to anticipate the new publication Support for Spelling by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Quality writing is based… Continue reading Handwriting and spelling