Improve your Student's Handwriting Legibility: A Training for Teachers + Parents

[@luckyaina2409]

Dear Dana thanks a lot for the all information what are you giving in this video. Thank you !!!!!

[@TheOTGuide]

You are so very welcome!! Glad you liked it :)

[@cindybertaut4601]

Dana, you have just revolutionized my in-service training efforts this year for my K and 1st-grade teachers. I love how you "merged" HWT and SMHP concepts for something so simple yet effective. THANK YOU!

[@TheOTGuide]

Cindy, thank YOU for your kind words and I'm so happy it's helpful :) Have a wonderful weekend :)

[@kellyfitzpatrick3743]

Dana as always- thank you for your precise and well presented videos! You rock!

[@TheOTGuide]

Aww, you are so very welcome, Kelly! :)

[@johndh2485]

YOU ARE AMAZING!!! you are helping me in my practice THANKYOU

[@TheOTGuide]

That makes me so happy! You are very welcome :)

[@lolitabixon8189]

Thanks a lot for your wonderful videos. Do you use a Jamboard in this video? Can you please let me know how do you use lined paper on it? Can students use same Jamboard that you use or they need to open their own and share the screen with you?

[@TheOTGuide]

Hey Lolita! I don't use Jamboard in this video - I just use Screencastify to share my screen on video and then use the "Draw" feature on Microsoft Word to write on tri-lined paper that I made in a Word doc. Does that make sense? Sorry I don't know anything about Jamboard!

[@user-ig8mk2wu1g]

Love it! You are wonderful!

[@TheOTGuide]

Aww, thank you :) I appreciate your support!

[@lindabeauchamp8836]

I like the spaghetti spaces for the more common problem of too large a space within the word. Thank you, great tutorial!

[@TheOTGuide]

You are very welcome, glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@arohiatre]

Do you have a link to the he tri-lined paper that you have shared in the video. I like that as it has a lot of spacing between two new lines. Thanks,

[@TheOTGuide]

Yes! Click on the link in the description of the video, it should take you to the tri-lined paper and the other resources :)

[@oscarvallejo5125]

Thank you!

[@TheOTGuide]

You bet!

[@lancedominguez6071]

A million thanks

[@TheOTGuide]

Anytime! Happy holidays!

[@BJ-ur2vj]

Hey new to school based OT. You have been so helpful! Just curious do you find that working on this on tri-lined paper translates to regular lined paper? Some of my students use regular lined paper in class. I have been utilizing regular lined paper and modifying it myself with a dotted line. What do you think? Thanks!

[@TheOTGuide]

Hey!! Thank you so much for visiting my channel and I'm so happy it's been helpful for you :) And I'm so sorry for my delayed response! Yes, I definitely think the skills gained from using tri-lined paper translate to regular paper. I think of using tri-lined paper like using training wheels on a bike. After a little while, kids get so used to the different letter sizes that they no longer need that visual cue. I start with larger tri-lines, then go to smaller and smaller ones, then eventually transition to regular college-bound paper. Let me know if you have any other questions and enjoy your day! -Dana

[@yaelganet4875]

Thank you, Dana. I'm sharing your work on the OT resource site I have at the schools I work in. I work with middle and high school students who were...never taught to write effectively. It's soooo much to 'undo', but those students who DO practice DO IMPROVE their handwriting. A student must be truly interested to improve, in order to have the MOTIVATION to grow, change. What are some of the goals you suggest that are linked to handwriting? In my experience, handwriting goals work best at the middle and high school levels when shared between teachers, and when a direct OT service student is appropriate for handwriting remediation, include the OT. Thanks again!!

[@TheOTGuide]

Hey Yael! My apologies for the delayed response. First off, THANK YOU x 1000 for sharing my work, that really means a lot to me! :) In terms of handwriting goals, I definitely agree with you that it's most effective if they are shared with the teachers so there is lots of collaboration. I tend to write goals that focus on legibility, rather than letter formation (that way, if a student has a weird way of writing letters but they are legible, they still meet the goal). So while I teach letter formation, I don't emphasize it so much in their actual goal. Does that make sense? That would probably be my #1 tip! For middle schoolers and high schoolers, they've already formed their writing habits so I don't try to undo those habits, more just teach them strategies to improve their legibility (so I emphasize spacing and letter sizing for tall, short, and hanging lowercase letters). I hope this was helpful! Feel free to shoot me an email at [e-mail] if you have any other questions and enjoy your day :) -Dana

[@samispelke7060]

Hi! What software are you using to write on the screen? Thanks!

[@TheOTGuide]

Hey Sami! My apologies for the delay. I'm just using the "draw" icon on Microsoft Word. If you don't have access to the most updated version of Word, check out my latest video on how to use Jamboard! You and your students can write on the screen with it :D