Abstract/Notes: This action research studied the impact of Handwriting Without Tears® (HWT) cursive instruction on handwriting skills for kindergarten students. The study occurred in an early childhood (ages 3-6) classroom at a private Montessori school. Eight students received multisensory HWT cursive instruction twenty minutes per day for six weeks. Sources of data included participant print and cursive writing samples analyzed with a rubric, HWT print assessments, scored attitude scales of participants’ feelings about handwriting, a tally sheet of writing works chosen, and a teacher journal. Following the intervention, participants’ scored higher on the HWT assessment, especially in the section regarding correct orientation. Cursive and print writing sample scores also improved. Participants’ feelings about looking at their handwriting increased. Since HWT cursive instruction improved students’ print and cursive, I will use HWT print and cursive curriculum in my classroom, give kindergartners regular HWT print assessments, and remediate as necessary.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2015

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

Published: New York: A. A. Knopf, 1930

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this research was to study the clinical and kinematic characteristics of cursive handwriting in healthy third and fifth grade children. One hundred-nine children participated in this study; 53 were in grade three and 56 were in grade five. Five commonly used clinical assessments were selected addressing strength, sensorimotor and coordination characteristics specific to handwriting. Two handwriting assessments, the Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting-Cursive, and the writing subtest of the Jebsen Test of Hand Function, assessed speed and/or legibility of handwriting. A simple cursive writing task was also produced on a digitized tablet and analyzed for kinematic features. Multiple T-Tests were used to determine significant gender differences and the effects of maturation on handwriting. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine if clinical or kinematic characteristics were predictors of legibility in cursive handwriting. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine if clinical or kinematic characteristics of handwriting contributed to handwriting speed and legibility. Results of this study indicate that in all groups, boys had less legible handwriting than girls. With maturation, healthy children in the third and fifth grades improve in their ability to smoothly write in the up and down direction, which is complemented by improved hand steadiness and coordination. The strong association between the grooved pegboard and legibility suggest that improving a child's in-hand manipulation skills may contribute to improvement in handwriting skills. The Jebsen and grooved pegboard contributed to handwriting speed and legibility. The findings of this study will guide Occupational Therapists in improving their understanding of the clinical and kinematic mechanisms underlying handwriting, which are critical to the development of appropriate intervention paradigms.

Language: English

Published: Detroit, Michigan, 2012

Abstract/Notes: This thesis begins by proposing that all five classical canons are an ideal theory for guiding any writing pedagogy. The majority of the thesis, then, details how Montessori writing instruction synergistically exploits these canons to create a powerful pedagogy. Devised by Maria Montessori in the late 1800s, her instruction displays standard and nonstandard applications of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Because Montessori writing instruction begins in preschool, this thesis concludes with an exploration of the potential benefits of introducing a classical curriculum before college. DOI - 10.25777/9jc9-ft22 / ISBN - 9780591485677

Language: English

Published: Norfolk, Virginia, 1997

Abstract/Notes: Maria Montessori lectured in Italian during the first International Montessori Course in 1939 at Madras, India. These 75 lectures were translated into English by her son Mario, as she spoke. And were taken down near verbatim in short hand, transcribed and set into galleys overnight. One such set of proofs forms the original manuscript for this book. For the most part, each chapter in this book encompasses a single lecture. The lectures are left in the same order as they were given, swinging between psychology and the use of the materials. India’s diversity of language, social custom and religious practice enriched her research. During this time, Dr. Montessori worked with children in Madras and put into practice her theories of adapting the environment, furniture and the Practical Life materials to local conditions. In these lectures, Maria Montessori speaks with the mature wisdom of a lifetime spent studying, not just early childhood, but human development as a whole and gives a complete, wonderful and colorful overview of her pedagogy and philosophy.

Language: English

Published: Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company, 2020

ISBN: 978-90-79506-52-1

Series: The Montessori Series , 24

Language: Italian

Language: Italian

Published: Rome, Italy: Union Cooperativa, 1908

Language: English

Published: Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann, 1992

ISBN: 0-435-08709-6 978-0-435-08709-8