# @edutopia on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CjmAbyxswzh
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20302949-edutopia-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/1edf23efff.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-10-12T00:39:14.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Edutopia (@edutopia) — https://gondola.cc/edutopia

## Caption

Researchers have long recognized the value of handwriting instruction. But that didn’t hit home for sixth grade teacher Chie Sipin-Bjarenas until her own son entered her grade level and she began to address his dysgraphia–a learning disability that affected his ability to write clearly. 
 
As Sipin-Bjarenas learned, good handwriting is the sum of many small habits, and things like fine motor skills and the way a student holds their paper can make a big difference. 
 
Her approach: Help all students develop fine motor skills by practicing how to hold a pencil in the traditional triangular grip. Teach them that paper should be tilted and held firmly in place by the nondominant hand. Students must also learn to apply the right pressure to pencil and paper–neither too loose nor too tight. And to improve letter formation, Sipin-Bjarenas projects lined paper onto a screen and talks students through the strokes for each letter, favoring the ones in Denise Eide’s The Rhythm of Handwriting series. 
 
It’s not just a matter of sound writing mechanics and neat penmanship, she insists: “Writers need cognitive space to express ideas; they should not be using their working memory to remember how to hold the pen or pencil.” Strong handwriting frees up space “for more structured and creative writing pursuits, like organizing ideas and using different literary elements,” and even supports reading fluency and retention. 
 
Sipin-Bjarenas’ son saw dramatic improvement in just one week of intervention, leading her whole school to revise its approach to penmanship. Every student in grades 1-6 now practices handwriting skills for about 30 minutes a week. 
 
“It’s my hope that with the research in our hands and minds, we will be able to reinforce literacy skills in all areas with this much-needed adjustment,” she concludes. 
 
See link in bio for more tips on handwriting instruction. 
 
#teachersofinstagram #classroom #educators #educator #education #educatorsofinstagram #teaching #teacher #dysgraphia #literacy #reading #writing

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## Tags

educator, writing, teacher, reading, classroom, teaching, educators, dysgraphia, education, teachersofinstagram, literacy, educatorsofinstagram

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