HANDWRITING
EFFECTIVE: 31 MARCH 2001
Uncontrolled when printed
2
Effective: 30 March 2001
CONTENTS
1 2 3 4 5 POLICY.............................................................................................................................. 3 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................. 3 RELEVANT LEGISLATION ................................................................................................ 3 PROCEDURES.................................................................................................................. 3 GUIDELINES ..................................................................................................................... 3
Handwriting All policy and procedural statements contained within this document are lawful orders for the purposes of section 80(a) of the Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA) and are therefore to be observed by all Department of Education and Training employees.
Uncontrolled when printed
3
Effective: 30 March 2001
POLICY
All students are to develop a personalised, fluent and legible handwriting that will deal adequately with whatever writing demands are placed on them.
BACKGROUND
The Victorian Modern Cursive handwriting style was adopted as the recommended style for Western Australian schools after national and international research into handwriting. It was introduced to provide consistency, direction and clarification in response to the diverse styles being taught in Western Australian government schools. The recommended style is also consistent with those styles adopted in other states of Australia and so there is less potential for students to be disadvantaged in moving between states. Victorian Modern Cursive removes the distinction between printing (manuscript) and running writing (cursive). Students learn a foundation style and later learn how to join letters to form a cursive script. This does away with the need to learn a completely new style when moving from printing to cursive writing. Two other advantages of the Victorian Modern Cursive writing style are that the style is based on natural handwriting patterns (basic scribble patterns), and requires no retracing of letter parts.
RELEVANT LEGISLATION
School Education Act, 1999, Section 67: Curriculum Curriculum Council Act, 1997, Division 9 - Curriculum Framework (English Learning Outcomes, Writing)
PROCEDURES
Differences in style in children’s handwriting learned in other states and territories, or elsewhere in Western Australia are to be accepted. Children who have already established an effective handwriting style are not to be required to change that style.
GUIDELINES
a) The foundation style can be built upon and adapted by the student. It is usually introduced to the students for at least one year before they are taught the cursive script letter-joins. There is no need for conformity once the letter shapes and sequences become automatic to the point of legibility and fluency. The focus during the middle and upper primary years should be on the development of a personalised, fluent and legible style, rather than on specific formations of letters and letter-joins.
b)
Handwriting All policy and procedural statements contained within this document are lawful orders for the purposes of section 80(a) of the Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA) and are therefore to be observed by all Department of Education and Training employees.
Uncontrolled when printed c)
4
Effective: 30 March 2001
While the Victorian Modern Cursive is the recommended handwriting style any school electing not to use it should have sound educational reasons for doing so. Handwriting lessons requiring compliance with a rigid style should be discouraged and stylistic variations that do not reduce fluency or legibility encouraged.
d)
Handwriting All policy and procedural statements contained within this document are lawful orders for the purposes of section 80(a) of the Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA) and are therefore to be observed by all Department of Education and Training employees.