Why do children have to learn to write joined up?

[Hulababy]

Just curious.

I know some schools start this very early on, and some later. But they all do it eventually. And there seems to be a big push for joined up writing in schools full stop.

But why? What is the reason for it? Why is it important to be able to write joined up?

I can write joined up. I learnt at school. But I rarely write joined up. I print. My writing is far neater and more legible when I print, and I can write just as fast when printing. So, if as an adult, I can chose how I want to write and no one would ever comment on me not joining up (have noticed lots of adults don't join up actually too) why do we find it so important to teach it in early primary?

Would love to know the fuull justifications for it.

[Piffle]

snap
Seems very weird thing to focus on so young

[cmotdibbler]

If you learn to write in joined up from the start, then that will be the fastest form of writing for you as the pen doesn't leave the page so many times. And as it is your 'native' handwriting, it will be your most legible too

[Hulababy]

Just don't understand why, when the curriculum is already over stretched, joined up writing is considered so important.

[NotCod]

speed
fluency

[Hulababy]

Hmm - I can write both print and joined up. But I find printing far more legible, especially when writing for my clients - eithe rpupils or the prisoner clients I have.

[Hulababy]

Cod - I print faster than I do joined up writing.

And is speed as important as legibility? I see very very few joined up writing that is as legible, especially to people with lower literacy levels, at printed words. Infact some joined up writing can be very dfficult to read.

[SmugColditz]

How many people actually write a great deal, unless they are in the business of teaching other people to write?

I type everything. Our children should be taught to touch type at primary school, for mor appropriate for the lives they will actually live!

[NotCod]

have i bored oyu on dhs beautiful candian loopy handwriting
its unbelivealble

[Sexonlegs]

I find the letters my dd is being taught to write are so fancy as well; very squirly looking iyswim.

[Hulababy]

I am sure it looks lovely cod. But could some of my clients, with low literacy levels, actually decode it?

[hairymcclary]

I hate the joined up writing, it looks a mess! Scrawly!
I too have wondered why!

[Hulababy]

Very true colditz

[TeeBee]

I thought it was because it was easier for those with dyslexia to read/write this way. That might be wrong, but that wat I was told by MIL (for what that is worth!?)

[MollieO]

My ds in reception is being taught cursive writing. It is sheer torture. He can write non-joined up but now has to add all the extra bits and do it in a flowing style. He can dictate to me perfectly on how it should be done but is reluctant to put pen to paper and show me! I am sure in my day we learnt individual letters first and then learnt how to join them together.

[Hulababy]

MollieO - your nme makes me smile. That is DD's name, and her middle initial

Yes, I recall something similar re dyslexia now I think about it, but not fully why.

[hairymcclary]

What bleedin proportion of kids are dyslexic then? Not that many surely, that they have to make every child write in the messy way.

[bloss]

Message withdrawn

[MadBadandDangeroustoKnow]

My friend the primary school teacher went to a course on teaching handwriting. They were told that a fully-joined, cursive script is 'worth' 10 marks at GCSE because it is so much quicker that students can get more of what they know onto paper.

Have to say that I'm baffled that dd's school is pushing her to do joined-up writing - and she's managing quite well - but they don't seem to be bothered that she holds her pencil in a fist rather than with the proper grip. I'd imagined they would tackle that first.

[MadBadandDangeroustoKnow]

x-post with bloss

[hairymcclary]

The advantages of joined up writing are then:

easier for dyslexics to read
its quicker
counts for points in gcses

And all this matters at infant and even reception children level because.....?

[LittleBella]

We learnt when we were 9.

By which time most people were holding their pencils properly and were ready.

What research is there about this? Is it just a fashion or is it based on proper findings?

[zippitippitoes]

how weird surely printiong must be really slow

i have never heard duyslexics find it easier to read

i amsure ds finds it impossivle to reaD

but most people arent sdylexic and most joined up writing is for rotingng prior to typing now

[zippitippitoes]

dyslexia is around 15 % I think

[SqueakyPop]

It is faster.

DH is 45 and prints , although when he dabbles in cursive, it so flowery and even more cringeworthy.

[MadBadandDangeroustoKnow]

As I understood it, the 'quicker and therefore more marks at GCSE' thing came from research, presumably a comparison of GCSE scores for printers and joiners-up.

I'm guessing the rationale is that it is better/easier to learn to write once, in the cursive style, than to learn to print and then learn to join-up. (In the same way that the Initial Teaching Alphabet was abandoned in the 60s because, I understand, having to learn to read twice was actually harder).

Any teachers here to elucidate?