Does Handwriting Matter? New What Matters blog post

by Jane Medwell

In 2012 a survey of 2,000 people in the UK reported in the British press found that one in three people had not written anything by hand in the previous six months and two thirds of people said that anything they handwrote was only meant for their own eyes, such as scribbled notes. So it is reasonable to ask whether handwriting still matters. Is it really worth teaching handwriting to our children? After all, parts of the USA and Finland no longer teach joined writing.

We think there are some persuasive reasons why it is still important for both young children and older learners to learn handwriting.

Our project

We are focusing on mark making and letter formation in the foundation stage. We all know early reading has a very high profile in both schools and homes. We’d like to find ways to make writing as high-profile.

We are working a group of Early Years Teachers, supported by the University of Nottingham’s What Matters* programme and Newall Brands (the home of Berol, Papermate and Sharpie). We aim to research ways to promote mark making and letter formation for Foundation stage children.

Teachers from schools in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Leicester aim to answer these questions:

• What do settings and homes do already to promote mark making and letter formation?
• What more can we do to promote mark making and letter formation?

What Matters

* What Matters  is a network of people involved in education who are interested in using educational research to address the difficult questions that confront those concerned with the learning of young people. What Matters was established by researchers in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham with financial support from the Economic and Social Research Council. We are particularly concerned to work with our local schools and community, but we welcome the involvement of anyone interested in the ideas and values that underpin this project.

Find out more

More information on this project can be found on the What Matters website . You will also find blogs, reading group, special interest groups and events. You can also follow on Twitter @whatmattersUoN.