English Skills - Handwriting, Spelling, Comprehension, Essay Writing & Creative Writing
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If your child is struggling with untidy or illegible handwriting; has failed to master cursive (joined-up) writing; is lagging behind his or her peers in creative writing and/or comprehension; or does not yet know how to organise his or her material in order to write a properly-structured essay; then he or she will need a course of lessons which focus on these extremely important areas.
Why are so many children today failing to develop good handwriting, compared with the past?
There are two principal reasons for this phenomenon. The first relates to the increased use of technology in society, which many children are highly-skilled at using. Technology sometimes replaces the physical act of writing, meaning that children don't put in as many hours practising the formation of letters, and thus are slow to develop skill in this area.
The second reason relates to the varying approaches taken by different schools. Some schools seem unconvinced of the importance of handwriting in today's technological age. Other schools teach it at the right time, but without the assistance of important technical aids such as slope cards; whilst a third type of school teaches joined-up writing prematurely, compared with the past. This approach may work for some children, but for others, if there has not been enough time available to learn how to form each letter properly, s/he may develop a semi-legible - or illegible - joined-up hand.
Why is having good handwriting important?
Good handwriting is important for a number of reasons. For children and young people, it is important because poor-quality and illegible handwriting in an exam will lead to a loss of marks. If the examiner cannot read your child's handwriting properly - if he or she cannot tell exactly what your child has written - then your child will be awarded fewer marks.
Related to the issue of legibility in exams is the issue of strength and speed. Your child needs to have sufficient hand strength in order to be able to write continuously for as long as three hours, and as quickly as possible. Therefore, it is essential that these skills be developed well in advance of GCSEs, A-Levels and University, so that your child can meet all the demands posed by increasingly challenging examinations.
Good handwriting is also important for young people when they enter into employment. Although technology is much in use these days, good handwriting skills are still important for many professionals such as lawyers, accountants, civil servants and so on. Immature, childish, non-joined-up handwriting in a young adult aspiring to a serious professional career is a handicap, and is likely to lead to exclusion from the top jobs.
Good handwriting also says a lot about an adult. For example, it is often clear from someone's letter-formation the country in which s/he grew up, and the level to which s/he was educated.
Essay Writing
Essay-writing lessons are strongly recommended for young people who are preparing to study Arts or Humanities at university, as these degree courses require a great deal of essay writing. It is an unfortunate fact that many A-Level courses fail to prepare pupils adequately for the demands of tertiary-level essay writing, leading many pupils to struggle in this area once they arrive at university.
Andrew can either give lessons entirely devoted to developing these, and other important English skills such as spelling and comprehension, or he can incorporate them into other lessons, such as 11+ coaching sessions.
Therefore, please contact Andrew to discuss your child's situation in detail.
Why are so many children today failing to develop good handwriting, compared with the past?
There are two principal reasons for this phenomenon. The first relates to the increased use of technology in society, which many children are highly-skilled at using. Technology sometimes replaces the physical act of writing, meaning that children don't put in as many hours practising the formation of letters, and thus are slow to develop skill in this area.
The second reason relates to the varying approaches taken by different schools. Some schools seem unconvinced of the importance of handwriting in today's technological age. Other schools teach it at the right time, but without the assistance of important technical aids such as slope cards; whilst a third type of school teaches joined-up writing prematurely, compared with the past. This approach may work for some children, but for others, if there has not been enough time available to learn how to form each letter properly, s/he may develop a semi-legible - or illegible - joined-up hand.
Why is having good handwriting important?
Good handwriting is important for a number of reasons. For children and young people, it is important because poor-quality and illegible handwriting in an exam will lead to a loss of marks. If the examiner cannot read your child's handwriting properly - if he or she cannot tell exactly what your child has written - then your child will be awarded fewer marks.
Related to the issue of legibility in exams is the issue of strength and speed. Your child needs to have sufficient hand strength in order to be able to write continuously for as long as three hours, and as quickly as possible. Therefore, it is essential that these skills be developed well in advance of GCSEs, A-Levels and University, so that your child can meet all the demands posed by increasingly challenging examinations.
Good handwriting is also important for young people when they enter into employment. Although technology is much in use these days, good handwriting skills are still important for many professionals such as lawyers, accountants, civil servants and so on. Immature, childish, non-joined-up handwriting in a young adult aspiring to a serious professional career is a handicap, and is likely to lead to exclusion from the top jobs.
Good handwriting also says a lot about an adult. For example, it is often clear from someone's letter-formation the country in which s/he grew up, and the level to which s/he was educated.
Essay Writing
Essay-writing lessons are strongly recommended for young people who are preparing to study Arts or Humanities at university, as these degree courses require a great deal of essay writing. It is an unfortunate fact that many A-Level courses fail to prepare pupils adequately for the demands of tertiary-level essay writing, leading many pupils to struggle in this area once they arrive at university.
Andrew can either give lessons entirely devoted to developing these, and other important English skills such as spelling and comprehension, or he can incorporate them into other lessons, such as 11+ coaching sessions.
Therefore, please contact Andrew to discuss your child's situation in detail.