How To Impose Handwriting Improvement?

[zwack]

Barcelona also use a bright Yellow (with red stripes on the back) away strip. So you could always go with bright yellow and red... Or Bright Yellow with a Red ink... :

 

As far as the pen goes... The Kaweco Sport is available in Bordeaux and Blue, for $27 each. So for $54 you could get a pair of Burgundy and Blue pens by swapping caps and sections around.

 

And yes, I know that I have a wonderful wife. But thank you.

[Old_Inkyhand]

I wish I liked the Kaweco Sport more I don't really like Kaweco's design, maybe with one honourable exception of the Lilliput (especially the Fireblue and the brass wave). But thank you for a valuable suggestion!

 

The students can't use the red ink at school, unfortunately, as it is used by their teachers. I'm going to try writing with Garnet Red - it is a dusty one, quite different from the 'fresh red' colour.

[tinta]

It may have been mentioned, but what about a relatively inexpensive Lamy Safari?

This pen comes in some "cool" colours that your brother may appreciate, it has a comfortable grip, is reasonably reliable, has a cartridge/converter filling system & uses easily replaceable nibs. The Lamy cartridges are proprietary, but could be refilled with a syringe. A bit of messy fun (or not).

My wife & I particularly enjoy writing with the Lamy 1.1 stub/italic nib. This "stubbish" nib seems to work quite well on a daily-writer pen.

 

[ksm]

Sorry I join this discussion so late.

 

I do not think there is anything you can do to impose handwriting improvement on dyslectic student.

 

Truth to be told I'm diagnosed with dysgraphia too, I was not able to do anything about my handwriting until I've finished my education and was not obliged to do any urgent handwriting. Legible writing, for a person cursed with dysgraphia means calligraphy. Nowadays, I can do pretty neat cursive italic, but my handwriting speed is well below what would be needed to pass written exams.

You've showed us your brother's handwriting, it is very similar to mine at his age. Out of curiosity: How fast can he write, with the hand you've displayed in this thread? How fast can he write, if he is forced to write legibly? If there is significant difference, then there is no way he will switch voluntarily.

1. He needs to get good enough grades in classroom open-ended handwritten tests, to keep parents from complaining. (Teachers know to expect him to write illegibly, this kind of writing triggers "I'm dealing with dysgraphia" frame of mind; but incomplete calligraphic rendering of answer would inadvertently be considered as lack of knowledge).
2. Reduction of writing speed means much more time spend on homework, and in consequence much less time for his hobbies. It would be enlightening to learn how much time he needs to come up with solutions for his home work assignments, and how much time it takes him to write down answers. If, as I expect, handwriting part takes him majority of time, then he will fight tooth and nail against anything that would slow him down even more.

Do not count on Polish school system. My wife is a teacher in senior high school for students with minor learning deficiencies (pol. Liceum Integracyjne). I've been very surprised to learn, that despite of multitude of students diagnosed with dysgraphia, they do not have any teacher who specialises in handwriting repair. They devise individualized learning plans (IPN) with reduced emphasis on written assignments, and do nothing about overcoming difficulties.

 

My advice are:

• Convince him to learn how to touch-type. Two half an hour sessions per day, during summer holidays, ought to be enough to learn to type over 50 WPM. If he is allowed to use computer on exams, then touch-typing would give him significant advantage over handwriting students. (While learning to touch-type, it is advisable to avoid typing with two fingers between study sessions). (A keyboard without labels on keys would be very conductive to final success in acquiring touch-typing skills).
• If he wants to learn to handwrite legibly (let me reiterate it: HE WANTS TO), then get him Rosemary Sassoon's book: "Improve Your Handwriting: Teach Yourself". This book, and Fred Eager's "The Italic way to Beautiful Handwriting", helped me achieve my current hand. Italic handwriting should be different enough from his current "style" to avoid falling back to old habbits.
• Your brother's hand is very narrow. He probably rests edge of his hand on paper and writes with his fingers; narrow letters allows him to cramp more text before he needs to move his hand. Breaking this habit requires a lot of practice.

Edited February 9, 2016 by ksm

[Old_Inkyhand]

Thank you all very much for your kind and helpful responses. I appreciate the amount of time and effort you've put into sharing your ideas.

 

I am writing (typing) to share a little update with you.

My brother's typing skills have improved significantly since February. He passed all his tests with flying colours (using a computer) and won a few important prizes. On Thursday he officially became a student of a really great school! I think he'll take advantage of the new situation.

 

A week ago we were discussing some school-related issues and he wanted to take notes. He couldn't find a pencil, so I lent him one of my cheapest pens with Bookbinders Ratsnake inside. He was very happy with the writing experience. He even tested the dry times and was satisfied with the results.

 

On Wednesday he was preparing for the first day in his new school, during which he would not only meet new friends and teachers, but also write a test - without a computer. He told me he didn't have a comfortable pen and asked me to lend him "a ballpoint... or a fountain pen, if possible...". I gave him a few FPs to test and finally lent him my best long-distance writer, the trustworthy Waterman Carene, along with a Faber-Castell mechanical pencil, a wooden ballpoint and a leather pencil case.

 

And he didn't break it! Moreover, I saw that all his notes were written with the fountain pen. The next day in the evening I took the pen out of the case to check if there was enough ink left in the cartridge. It was nearly empty, so I refilled it and left in a drawer.

 

The first question my brother asked me on Friday morning was "Where is my fountain pen?". He didn't want to leave without it.

 

I guess there is one more fountain pen user out there... and I need to get another Carene

[jmccarty3]

Way to recruit, dude!

[Vunter]

Thank you all very much for your kind and helpful responses. I appreciate the amount of time and effort you've put into sharing your ideas.

 

I am writing (typing) to share a little update with you.

My brother's typing skills have improved significantly since February. He passed all his tests with flying colours (using a computer) and won a few important prizes. On Thursday he officially became a student of a really great school! I think he'll take advantage of the new situation.

 

A week ago we were discussing some school-related issues and he wanted to take notes. He couldn't find a pencil, so I lent him one of my cheapest pens with Bookbinders Ratsnake inside. He was very happy with the writing experience. He even tested the dry times and was satisfied with the results.

 

On Wednesday he was preparing for the first day in his new school, during which he would not only meet new friends and teachers, but also write a test - without a computer. He told me he didn't have a comfortable pen and asked me to lend him "a ballpoint... or a fountain pen, if possible...". I gave him a few FPs to test and finally lent him my best long-distance writer, the trustworthy Waterman Carene, along with a Faber-Castell mechanical pencil, a wooden ballpoint and a leather pencil case.

 

And he didn't break it! Moreover, I saw that all his notes were written with the fountain pen. The next day in the evening I took the pen out of the case to check if there was enough ink left in the cartridge. It was nearly empty, so I refilled it and left in a drawer.

 

The first question my brother asked me on Friday morning was "Where is my fountain pen?". He didn't want to leave without it.

 

I guess there is one more fountain pen user out there... and I need to get another Carene

 

Can I be your brother too? What a cool sister to give your brother a Carene. I just got into the hobby myself and have just started to improve my own handwriting.

Edited September 17, 2016 by Vunter

[akustyk]

Thank you all very much for your kind and helpful responses. I appreciate the amount of time and effort you've put into sharing your ideas.

 

I am writing (typing) to share a little update with you.

My brother's typing skills have improved significantly since February. He passed all his tests with flying colours (using a computer) and won a few important prizes. On Thursday he officially became a student of a really great school! I think he'll take advantage of the new situation.

 

A week ago we were discussing some school-related issues and he wanted to take notes. He couldn't find a pencil, so I lent him one of my cheapest pens with Bookbinders Ratsnake inside. He was very happy with the writing experience. He even tested the dry times and was satisfied with the results.

 

On Wednesday he was preparing for the first day in his new school, during which he would not only meet new friends and teachers, but also write a test - without a computer. He told me he didn't have a comfortable pen and asked me to lend him "a ballpoint... or a fountain pen, if possible...". I gave him a few FPs to test and finally lent him my best long-distance writer, the trustworthy Waterman Carene, along with a Faber-Castell mechanical pencil, a wooden ballpoint and a leather pencil case.

 

And he didn't break it! Moreover, I saw that all his notes were written with the fountain pen. The next day in the evening I took the pen out of the case to check if there was enough ink left in the cartridge. It was nearly empty, so I refilled it and left in a drawer.

 

The first question my brother asked me on Friday morning was "Where is my fountain pen?". He didn't want to leave without it.

 

I guess there is one more fountain pen user out there... and I need to get another Carene

 

 

That's a beautiful and thoughtful gift! I am sure your brother will appreciate it and make good use of it. The Carene makes a great beginner pen because it can take heavier pressure rather well. The flow is restrained, which should help write on poor quality notebook paper. Please, report back on your brother's experience. I am curious how he's getting along with his new fountain pen.

[Old_Inkyhand]

 

Can I be your brother too?

Well, I guess I should ask my parents! Thank you very much for your kind words. Carene is a great pen and can really help relax a grip. My brother used to keep his fingers weirdly clawed when writing and it is nearly impossible to write like that with Carene.

 

 

That's a beautiful and thoughtful gift! I am sure your brother will appreciate it and make good use of it. The Carene makes a great beginner pen because it can take heavier pressure rather well. The flow is restrained, which should help write on poor quality notebook paper. Please, report back on your brother's experience. I am curious how he's getting along with his new fountain pen.

 

Thank you! I am happy to hear that you support my decision. He uses the pen every day and I am really glad to watch the cartridges run dry On the other hand, I really miss my old companion. I try to save some money and get myself a used Carene

 

I try to provide him with some good notebooks. My Rhodia pad has also changed its owner

Edited September 18, 2016 by Old_Inkyhand

[jmccarty3]

You have done a great good deed for your brother. Congratulations!