RPS/WLD REMEDIATION GUIDE

Transcription

1 RPS/WLD REMEDIATION GUIDE Copyright 2012 Rand H. Nelson All Rights Reserved Published by Peterson Directed Handwriting Greensburg PA

2 Introduction The need to affect changes in the approach to handwriting is dire for students with RPS, but it is just as important for any student who is not able to use handwriting as a tool for learning. The fluency screening and RPS examination process will identify students who need help. For RPS pupils the road to successful learning will demand more direct, one-on-one coaching to reteach letter building, but every pupil who lacks the ability to transcribe fluently can improve if given guidance and the opportunity to master new skills. Unless you have been measuring and tracking handwriting fluency to identify needs and improve lagging skills, you will find many students who have been working under the radar with poor habits that are holding them back. This guide outlines specific steps that will provide opportunity for students to adjust and improve their approach to the handwriting task. Improved fluency and legibility will improve spelling scores, composition and reading as changes allow, control, fluency and word patterns to develop. General Objectives Position Skills have a major impact on skill development and eventual fluency for every student, but for RPS students, good hand position is crucial. To sense the direction of writing movements correctly, the student must get the writing hand into a position that will allow top-down sensation to develop and replace the reversed sensations that are disrupting learning. Recognize that new receptor connections are needed if that is to happen. The wrist and forearm control the position of the hand. Hold your hand out in front of you with palm up. Notice how easy it is to rotate your forearm and turn it palm-down. Extend your hand again in a handshake position and point straight ahead. Note that you can easily bend the wrist to change the pointing direction. It doesn t take much movement to aim your pointer to the left or right instead of aiming forward. The point is, there are many different groups of muscles involved in holding and moving the pencil for handwriting. Developing efficient, automatic coordination between those groups takes practice to reach the point of automation. When one or more groups are out of sync, the goal of Written Language Fluency is very difficult to achieve. This guide offers a series of lateral movement exercises that are easily performed when grip, hand, wrist and arm positions allow. They do therefore, stimulate need for the kind of adjustments we hope to achieve while allowing opportunity for the student to develop some feeling of control that will improve as the exercises continue. The exercises involve long sliding moves across the page that offer opportunity for the student to adjust and adopt the improved postures. Once a minimum level of comfort has been established using the simple sliding exercises, the student should be able to continue the effort by working on the alphabet. Direct instruction of letter movement sequences will probably be necessary with RPS pupils, but non RPS students can quickly improve fluency and legibility once good position skills have been mastered. 1. Getting the writing hand into position for proper sensations and efficient movement might involve changing a hooked wrist and/or rotated forearm. The new positions will feel very strange to the student. The urge to revert to poor but familiar habit position wont be easy to overcome. It is important to recognize that independent work will likely result in use of old habits without constant reminders. 2. Fluent production of legible words and sentences demands lateral movements of the arm. The position of the arm on the table determines the direction in which controlled lateral movements can be executed easily. Writing paper needs to be positioned so that the writing space is parallel to that direction. The innate tendency to position a page at body midpoint with lines running horizontally across the table (reading position) sets the stage for a poor approach at the outset and quickly becomes a perceptual habit. 2 Peterson Directed Handwriting

3 3. The grip on the pencil and/or position of the writing hand and wrist can defeat arm movement entirely. This sets the stage for movement reversals even without the contrary sensations of RPS. All students will benefit from the exercise activities, so don t hesitate to use them with the whole class. Primary teachers would probably be very pleased with the well formed letters on the page in the picture below. They look at the product, but are hard pressed to observe the process used to create that product. To produce legible words and sentences fluently, the child must learn to look ahead of the letters to select goals for size and spacing. The child will have to completely remove the hand from the page to choose a place to anchor the pencil for the next letter. The picture above is a frame captured from a video. The student does struggle with reversals caused by the poor position skills, but the big problem is a debilitating lack of fluency. This second-grade child can produce only 19 letters in a minute. Fluency could develop if someone teaches the pupil how to position the paper, the writing hand and arm, and to grip the pencil so that natural lateral movement can occur. The exercises in this guide are designed to help your student accomplish that learning as quickly as possible. Stating specific things the child in the picture needs to master should be helpful as you consider your student. You will encounter a surprising number of position variations, but the goals for improvement are consistent. 1. The student will be able to grasp the pencil at a point that is far enough from the tip to reduce pressure. 2. The student will be able to position the paper so that lines and spaces for writing are parallel with the armmovement direction. 3. The student will be able to place paper and the writing hand so that the hand is under the image area allowing clear view of the writing space from left to right across the page. 4. The student will be able to position the wrist so that the palm edge does not anchor on the page and the arm can easily slide the hand across the page. 5. The student will be able to hold the paper at the top with the non-writing hand and adjust its position relative to the writing arm and hand as spaces are filled. 6. The student will be able to produce legible letters and words while using the new position skills. WLD RPS Remediation Guide 3

4 The wrist is rolled outward putting the hand at the right side of the image area. This position blocks left-to-right movement. Note how the pencil approaches the image at an angle that is near perpendicular. Note the fingers under the thumb. The tops of those fingers are facing down on the page. The fist knuckles are probably dragging on the paper. Step one is to introduce a better way to grip the pencil and hold the paper. The changes will require enough practice to overcome the initial strangeness associated with the new grip and paper position. The movement exercises will enable that adjustment by allowing time for connections to develop between the various muscle groups and the brain. The simple sliding movements used in the exercises do not require precision guidance, so the student will be able to use the new grip if cooperative. The sliding exercises provided in this guide will stimulate the need for the adjustments to grip, hand and wrist positions as well as paper holding. The picture at the left shows, from the bottom side, a widely accepted grip commonly called the tripod. The name relates to the three contact points shown within the blue oval. The pad of the pointer and thumb rest on the pencil and hold it against the side of the middle finger. A relaxed, pressurefree grip is the goal, but doesn t make it easy for a child to feel the pencil is controlled. That lack of feeling is the cause of the tight, cramped habit you are working to change. The Tripod Grip If you can convince the child to try, participation in the exercises with the tripod grip will lead to better feedback connections so the feeling of control will improve and lead to acceptance. For those pupils who are unwilling to try this grip and the the exercise, there is an alternative called the remedial grip. It is intended to be a temporary grip which allows feelings of control immediately. It allows the pupil to focus on adjustment of arm, wrist and paper for the exercises. Because you will have many who find the normal tripod difficult to accept initially, the remedial grip is explained in detail. 4 Peterson Directed Handwriting

5 The Remedial Grip This grip was a favored posture taught by some penmen a century ago. Peterson specialists named it the remedial grip to differentiate it from the tripod when using it to correct students with bizarre and debilitating pencil holds. Gripping the pencil this way immediately allows a feeling of control because the barrel of the pen or pencil is anchored between the pointer and middle fingers. For that reason, it is a good way to overcome the initial lack of connections between brain and muscles that leads to the wide variety of debilitating grip habits adopted by so many children. Because it feels controlled right away, it is easier for the child to accept and use in order to get the arm properly involved in the handwriting process. Note that hand and fingers are under the writing space. The arm can slide the hand easily because the edge of the palm is not anchored on the paper. Strange grip positions emerge in an effort to feel the pencil. Positioning the barrel between pointer and middle fingers generally solves the problem. The grip puts three fingers at the side of the pencil which results in much improved wrist position, particularly when the demand for long, lateral strokes is presented. The improved feeling of control makes the adjustment easier for the student to accept. The remedial grip puts middle, ring and pinkie fingers in correct position at the side of the pencil. This tends to keep the hand upright and the wrist in a better position because tips of ring and pinkie lend support. The fingers can act as skates to suspend the palm and wrist just above the page as the arm moves the pen sideways. This stimulates wrist and forearm to lay in a better position for execution of the lateral arm movements needed for the exercises and for fluent sentence writing later on. In most cases this is a temporary posture simply because it takes two hands to mount the pencil. Once good wrist and arm position is comfortable, most students switch to the common tripod with pencil outside simply because it does not require two hands to pick up the pencil. WLD RPS Remediation Guide 5

6 Adjustment Exercises The pupil will be trying to use muscle groups that have not previously had an opportunity to participate in guiding pencil movements because the old habits prevented it. There has been minimal opportunity for the brain to make control connections with these muscle groups. The exercises will allow that opportunity, particularly when the exercises are directed so that they include two challenges. One critical challenge is to elicit movements that are goal oriented. The second is to elicit smooth, rhythmic movement. These are two characteristics of the fluent type of movement which can only be guided by the muscle memory. The result will be an enhanced rate of internalization which translates into new habits, automatic responses that happen because the patterns are established in muscle memory. The challenges are presented in target games. Simple sliding movements will be made across the page starting at the left and aiming for a target at the right. The student will make these sliding movements while chanting a grammar of action which creates a template for smooth rhythmic moves. The goal is to move the pencil in time with the voice. Exercise 1 Introduce the first exercise with a model for finger-tracing. The finger-trace step is important. It will establish the pointer finger as the contact point and enable top-down sensation with it. When the pencil is introduced to play the game, the pointer can feel the same top-down sensation on the pencil. Teach the pupil to rotate the page into writing position so that the arm movement will progress parallel with the lines on the page. Finger-trace will also allow the brain to get the movement distance in sync with the voice. The movement will stop when the voice stops. Repeat the finger-trace training until the movement stops near the target. Finger-trace Play Play Play Play Grammar of Action = Slide to the right. You and the students should chant the words aloud in unison. The goal is to elicit smooth movement toward the target. Chant the words in a smooth, rhythmic way. Right-Handed Paper Position Left-Handed Paper Position 6 Peterson Directed Handwriting

7 Exercise 2 New challenges are important to keep the muscle memory engaged and adding stored information to solidify the internalized movement dynamics. Therefore, this series of exercises introduce slightly more challenging movements in a step-by-step progression. Exercise two introduces two new challenges to build upon the first. The first is to coordinate the lateral arm movement with finger movements in order to produce a long rainbow curve using the rhythmic, goal-oriented movement learned in exercise one. The second is to learn how to switch targets so the movement can be made in both directions. Follow the same introductory sequence; finger-trace with action words then move to play the game with the pencil. Action Words = Roll Over, Roll Back. The student can execute multiple strokes in both directions while practicing. Roll over and back four or five times at each location. Call attention to the ring and pinkie fingertips. Remind the student that they should be touching the page and sliding on the paper like skates. Hitting the targets isn t really important, but as control and timing improve you will be surprised to see the rhythmic strokes begin to hit each target more frequently. The picture doesn t show it, but the paper holding hand should be at the top of the page holding it in position and moving it up as the student progresses down the page. The paper adjustment keeps the writing arm in good position on the table. Exercise 3 - Rocker Strokes Action Words - Rock Under, Rock Back. WLD RPS Remediation Guide 7

8 Exercise 4 - Footballs The new challenge here is size reduction. The exercises use the movements already practiced to produce football shapes half the width of the page. The sequence is also changing. The student will roll right and rock back then rock right and roll back. Action Words, Task One 1. Roll Right 2. Rock Back Action Words, Task Two 1. Rock Right 2. Roll Back 1. Roll Right 2. Rock Back 1. Rock Right 2 Roll Back Exercise 5 - Do The Twist The new challenge is to combine the roll and rock in one smooth move, over and under to the right, then over and under moving back to the left. The Peterson action words call this combination a twist stroke. It is used frequently in the cursive alphabet. Action Words 1. Roll, Rock 2. Roll, Rock Developing Letter Patterns By this time, the student should be comfortable with a good pencil grip and the perceptual adjustment to good paper holding and be looking forward to new challenges. The more precise movement control needed for letter formation offers an important series of new challenges, but only when rhythmic movement is included as a goal for the exercises. You include rhythmic movement as a goal by teaching the student to move the pencil in time to a vocal chant which produces a beat. The chant is called a grammar of action. Some handwriting programs suggest the use of a grammar of action, but the word combination provided is too cumbersome to create a beat when chanted. To call the muscle memory into play and enhance internalization, the brain must be challenged to guide smooth, rhythmic movements. One of the most successful ways to elicit rhythmic movement for the strokes that produce letters and words, is to count aloud as the strokes are written during directed practice sessions. Because of the long history supporting this technique, and the fact that it can be applied to any of the many variations of model alphabets you may be using, the count & write technique will be explained for use with print or cursive alphabets. It is easy to employ and students enjoy the practice activity because of the movement challenge. 8 Peterson Directed Handwriting

9 It is important to recognize that most students will have had minimal experience with rhythmic handwriting movement. That lack of experience means that the initial attempts will not be well controlled. The forms created may not be very accurate compared to the alphabet models. At first, the effort is focused upon process, start point, direction and sequence. Legibility of the product will improve as practice allows storage of better rhythm and timing information. That practice must be directed to include the rhythm challenge. Until good rhythm patterns have been established, independent practice will probably be visually-guided drawing which excludes rhythm from the exercise. Because the exercise goal is to cause internalization of the movement dynamics, it is also important to recognize the gross motor system as the best input channel. No matter what age, the student will benefit greatly if allowed to master the letter at a large size first. The gross motor system is good at sharing information among muscle groups and will feed the good dynamics to the fine motor level leading to more rapid improvement than could be achieved if the effort tried to focus directly on fine-motor activity. A chalkboard is probably the most convenient interface for large movement practice and will save reams of paper if students are able to use the board. The Count & Write Technique The concept is not complicated. We want to create a template for movements that will call for smooth, rhythmic moves as strokes are created. If you are leading word practice teach the students to count progressively for the strokes as the target word is built. To clarify, creating the word hand requires a certain number of strokes. We want the student to count up to that total number. We would count as follows: 1,2-3,4-5,6-7,8. As a general rule, we count for downstrokes when using print letters and up-strokes when using cursive forms. With print letters we count for dots and crossing strokes because they are added as each letter is written. We don t count for dots and crosses with cursive forms because they are added after the word is complete. We do want to count for the cursive finish strokes which space words in a sentence, or use the word space instead. The cursive word habit would count as follows: 1,2-3,4-5, , plus 9 or space, dot and cross. You and your students will catch on to this quickly if you provide a model and use finger-tracing to get the movements and counts in sync before you attempt to write & count. You can also lead air writing by pointing at a large model written on the chalkboard. A couple of repetitions will usually allow student success with the write & count step. It may seem complicated as you read this, but a couple of trials will make a big difference. When the student has successfully counted through production of the word on paper, a repeat performance is recommended. As a final, motivating step, ask the student to write and count again with eyes closed to test the muscle memory. The product on the page will clearly show how well the muscle memory is able to handle the pencil driving task during applied writing tasks. The Impact of Good Position and Fluency When the student uses good position skills, and you get them moving across the page, print or cursive writing should slant forward when viewed in reading position. The degree of slant may be different for each pupil, and the goal is consistency. That forward slant therefore, will serve well as an indicator of transfer of learning as you review independent applied work. As automatic fluency emerges, and the motor system is able to take over the transcription task, each pupil will begin to produce a personal hand that is distinctive and recognizable. A Teaching Plan To Follow If you do not have materials or a teaching plan to follow, please visit < to learn about the inexpensive materials we offer. WLD RPS Remediation Guide 9

10 Video Support The Peterson Directed Handwriting web site offers free videos explaining and demonstrating pencil and paper holding skills including a video presentation of the remedial grip. Another thoroughly explains the best approaches to handwriting for a left-handed student. You may find the videos very helpful. If you do not have materials for teaching handwriting skills, you will find inexpensive materials are available from Peterson Directed Handwriting. Our materials have been in continuous use in classrooms and homes since The Peterson directed-lesson strategy makes it easy for you to teach the process precisely, including how to move. Get the pupils moving in time to their voices, and you will begin to see improvement replace frustration. In addition to our WE Write To Read series of texts and teacher guides, we now offer electronic tools that are unique to the educational publishing industry. E-workbooks allow you to print student pages for lessons right from your computer as often as needed to develop mastery, and to project the page to lead those practice lessons. E-workbooks are sold under a building license which covers all teachers. The one-time building license fee is $ You can page through all of the e-workbooks by visiting our web site review page. Last but not least, live specialist support is available on line. Arrange a free support session by phone or by . Our Connect web meeting allows live demonstrations and does not require a software installation. You simply directed your web browser to the meeting entry page. Conversation can be by phone or VoIP if you have a configured headset. Rand Nelson <mrpencil@peterson-handwriting.com> Peterson Directed Handwriting