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Dennis Williams is National Product Manager, Handwriting, of Zaner-Bloser Educational Publishers. He can be reached at PO Box 16764 Columbus, OH 43216-6764 or via phone at 614-487-2200 or via e-mail at dmwilliams@zaner-bloser.com In this interview he discusses National Handwriting Week, the importance of good handwriting, and the link between thinking and writing.

1) I understand that later this month is National Handwriting Week. When did this get started and what is happening across the U.S.?

National Handwriting Week marks John Hancock's birthday, which is January 23^rd. Unfortunately; this precedes our team here at Zaner-Bloser, so I cannot answer the "when" part of this event. Nationally, educators will be doing many different activities, from simple essay writing, to researching American writers and historical documents. Currently, Zaner-Bloser is in the middle of our National Handwriting Contest, which has over 144,000 participants annually. Children in grades 1-8 participate throughout the country: http://www.zaner-bloser.com/html/hwcontest.html

We will be announcing National Winners and the Grand National Champion this spring.

2) In your mind, why is handwriting, and cursive handwriting important?

The core of handwriting instruction's value is that it aids in letter recognition and letter formation for children – critical skills in reading development. Research shows letters in the alphabet are not learned holistically, but through a "visual system" where the brain breaks down curves, lines, and bars (Adams, 1990) – in other words, emerging readers are using the skills taught in handwriting instruction.

As Steve Graham, Currey Ingram Professor of Special Education and Literacy at Vanderbilt University describes, "Students today are asked to write more, and write well. We expect them to master the writing process, and to demonstrate their proficiency on a variety of district and statewide tests. As they are writing, if a student is having difficulty creating the characters needed to produce the next word, some of the ideas and writing plans they are trying to hold to memory will undoubtedly be lost, as most of their attention is consumed by trying to transcribe words to text."

3) I am a bit afraid that in a few years, we are going to be communicating via e-mail, and many assignments will be done on lap top computers. Will handwriting remain an important part of education?

Currently in grades K-8, the national average for computers in the classroom is around 3 per room, with about 95% of printed communication still done by hand. Most people agree that until there is a laptop in everyone's hand - 100% of the time and all students can type at 100+ words per minute - there still remains a need to organize thoughts, assemble paragraphs and essays, and quickly share information with peers. Inefficient typing skills, like poor handwriting, are inhibitors to the creative process of writing.If a child is struggling with the actual process of typing, or handwriting, then the thoughts they are trying to hold to memory will be lost as they struggle with the process.

We, as adults sometimes take for granted the writing process – being able to quickly jot down notes, write messages, etc…And now see technology as a way to improve our adult lives. By forcing this philosophy onto children, we are forgetting the skills that we had the opportunity to learn that have attributed to our overall communication abilities.

4) How, in your mind is good writing linked with good thinking?

The mental process involved in handwriting, experts point out, are connected to other important learning functions, such as storing information in memory, retrieving information, manipulating letters, and linking them to sound when spelling.

5) Forcing children to put their thoughts and ideas down on paper is probably critical to higher order thinking. Are teachers neglecting this important part of the educational process?

I wouldn't say that anyone is neglecting the skill. What we see is that there are inconsistencies in how handwriting skills are taught. Unfortunately, the teaching of handwriting is not a skill frequently taught to education students at colleges and universities. Young teachers are asked to teach handwriting instruction, when they themselves, have limited experience in the proper techniques, methods, and materials available.Research shows that more damage can be done when children are taught improper techniques, than when taught none at all.

One of our main goals at Zaner-Bloser is to educate and train teachers, as well as provide them and their students with classroom tested, research-based materials.

6) The association of writing with learning letters is probably linked to spelling and reading. Or am I off here?

You're absolutely correct. Handwriting, spelling, writing, and reading are all connected in the development of children – no one topic should be an island unto itself.During handwriting instruction, if a child is hearing, saying, and writing the letter "b", then they are preparing themselves for reading and spelling success.Proper handwriting instruction supports and advances all language arts development.

7) Correcting writing is probably a very time consuming labor intensive process. Any ideas to help teachers?

Zaner-Bloser has adjusted our curriculum over the past decades to accommodate the changing landscape (additional classes such as computers & technology).Our handwriting instruction can be successfully implemented in as little as 15 minutes per day. Teachers have the flexibility to use our program to fit their needs.

8) Is there a web site where teachers and parents can get more information?  www.zaner-bloser.com

9) What question have I neglected to ask?

Just a general statement – children have a desire to learn handwriting – both manuscript and cursive. Handwriting represents landmarks for children – being able to write their name, signing cards for relatives, and writing cursive like an "adult." This is a valuable confidence-builder for all children that cannot be dismissed!