Noella Mackenzie

NESA accredited

4 Hours

29 May - 3 July 2023

Online moderated course

In this practical and engaging course, teachers are provided with resources such as written summaries, syllabus outcomes, learning progressions, writing samples, photographs, visual images, graphs, recommended readings and diagrams that can be used to create handwriting and keyboarding lessons with the aim of students developing automaticity, competency, speed and accuracy in both. Teachers begin with foundational skills and look at cursive expectations in the Australian Curriculum.

They then examine the NSW syllabus, curriculum expectations in other states and various writing samples. Teachers will look at the shift of printing to cursive. Legibility and automaticity is highlighted. This course advocates direct explicit teaching using modelled examples, demonstration and explanation.

The evidence to support this course:

• Handwriting does matter and is more closely related to academic achievement than most educators realise. (Cahill, 2009; Daffern, Mackenzie & Hemmings, 2017; Longcamp, Zerbato-Poudou & Velay, 2005; Medwell & Wray, 2007).
• Keyboarding skills should be considered as an alternative if a student is unable to meet the physical demands required of the handwriting task. (Handley-More, Deitz, Billingsley & Coggins, 2003).
• Handwriting skills need to become automated to free up working memory. (Case-Smith, Holland & Bishop, 2011; Jones & Christensen, 1999; Medwell & Wray, 2007; 2014).
• Handwriting fluency contributes directly to writing fluency (Graham, Berninger, Abbott, Abbott & Whitaker, 1997).

Why participate? 

• You will learn why handwriting matters and consider the value of both handwriting and keyboarding skills and their impact on student learning.
• You will gain access to contemporary research focusing on both skill sets, and learn how it applies to the contemporary primary classroom.
• Learn expert strategies for teaching and assessing handwriting and keyboarding

Who should participate?

• Teachers - Years F-6

How does it work?

• Individuals: upon registration individuals will be sent a link to access the PL on our online learning platform.
• Whole schools: One staff member must register on behalf of their school.
  They can choose to have a single link to view this together or can email us the names and email addresses of teachers they wish to enrol. 

Completing this course contributes to 4 hours of online Professional Learning addressing 2.1.2, 2.2.2, and 3.4.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

This course is NESA Approved For NSW teachers: Completing Handwriting and Keyboarding in the 21st Century will contribute 4 hours of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Accredited PD in the priority area of Delivery and assessment of NSW Curriculum/Early Years Learning Framework addressing standard descriptors 2.1.2, 2.2.2, and 3.4.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.