Computer Off, Pencil Up: Course Helps Kids Get a Grip on Writing

A national study examining how primary grade teachers teach handwriting appears to support Olsen's beliefs. The survey, published this year, found that four of five surveyed teachers, about 79 percent, said their district required that handwriting be taught. But only 12 percent said they felt they were adequately prepared to do so.

"There is a lot made about how we're living in this electronic age," said Steve Graham, a professor at Vanderbilt University and the study's primary author. "But the idea that we would not need handwriting does not line up with the realities."

Although kids today have more exposure to technology, he said, a larger part of their classroom experience still involves putting pen to paper.

"You're not seeing every kid taking a laptop into the classroom to take their notes," he said. "They're still doing an awful lot of writing by hand."

Graham's study also indicates that the number of children who have experienced difficulty with handwriting has increased. Surveyed teachers reported that 23 percent of their students fell into that category, up from earlier estimates of 12 to 21 percent.

Research, including Graham's, shows that handwriting hang-ups can negatively affect a student's academic ability, Olsen said.

"We're not doing this because we're picky or mean," she said. "We're doing this because we want children to be able to write neatly and quickly."

Handwriting isn't rocket science, Olsen said, but it's also not innate.

"You do not learn to do handwriting like you learn how to talk. You need instruction," she said. "With the investment, good handwriting becomes a habit, like shoe-tying."