Having children lie on the floor making wave-like movements or pretending to be robots may not appear an obvious way to practise handwriting skills. But at Hazelbury Infant School in Edmonton, London, the technique is proving both effective and inspirational.
Practitioners say that the Dance Write programme is being enjoyed by all children, including those with special educational needs and physical disabilities, and is recognised as an inclusive approach to engaging all children in handwriting.
Co-ordinated by the children's charity Dazu, the technique is based on the handwriting programme Write Dance, devised by the Dutch graphologist Ragnhild A Oussoren. Dazu adapted the programme to put equal emphasis on the music and movement element of the sessions, recognizing that children's access to physical activity needs to be encouraged and supported.
The idea is that children should not be pushed into writing and using writing materials before they are ready. The programme emphasises creativity and expressing emotions as opposed to either performance, achievement or writing their names.
Body language
Over a period of ten sessions a variety of themes are covered, with each one addressing the movements and lines used within written language. One week the children may find themselves exploring under-the-sea movements, while the next, they may be pretending to be robots.
Each session begins with a story, which the children are encouraged to get involved with by using props. This leads on to songs they act out.
With the help of a dance artist, the children express themselves using the space around them, moving different parts of their bodies, making big and small shapes and expressing emotion through body language and gesture. Next, the movements are transferred to paper, and the children draw the shapes and lines they have been practising.
Lisa Poole, co-ordinator of the project at Dazu, explains why they think it is so worthwhile.
'It helps children with their co-ordination, movement and handwriting skills, and it is an imaginative project to work with,' she says. The inclusive aspect is particularly important. 'Many of the children who take part have additional needs, and it is useful for them to see handwriting from a different perspective, and to be involved in it that way.'
Nursery teacher Nesil Veli adds, 'Even those who are already confident in their markings, go on to form better shapes, while those who have English as an additional language can be involved in learning to read from the start. Their confidence grows and it really helps.'
She believes that the programme offers a lot for children with special educational needs. 'They can follow the markings and their own representation of the markings,' she says.
Naomi Claire, the dance artist who runs the class, corroborates that children with complex learning needs benefit from the way the programme flows. 'It is very easy to follow,' she says. 'The moves are basic and the music is very expressive and very leading.'
Improvements are also seen in children with physical disabilities. 'Where the programme does rely on a certain amount of gross motor skills, the movements are mostly upper body, so are accessible for most children,' says Nesil. 'It is also good for use with children where physical fitness is poor.'
She says an extra benefit of the programme has been the hugely positive response from boys. 'One of our targets is to raise boys' results. Previously in the nursery, boys would excel in physical activities but not in writing. But now they are taking part in writing voluntarily.'
Naomi adds, 'Boys tend to find soft, fluid lines hard to achieve. We revisit these issues several times during the programme, more than we concentrate on acute, angular lines, and there has been a large improvement.'
Teacher feedback
Once the ten sessions have ended, teachers are encouraged to continue the programme with a CD and book provided for reference. 'Some teachers have come back to us, and said that they are keen to put ideas from it into the classroom,' says Lisa Poole. 'They find that the repetitive element of the programme is of particular benefit to children with SEN.'
At Hazelbury, Nesil sometimes repeats the programme for the afternoon sessions. 'I watch Naomi conducting the session in the morning, and then in the afternoon I sometimes repeat it, sometimes shortening it if the children are a bit tired.'
The staff have been impressed by the positive impact the programme has had. Nesil says, 'The programme has resulted in the children having a better grip and improved mark-making, as well as building up their social skills and languages.'
She believes that Dance Write gives meaning to many aspects of writing as well as encouraging language and building vocabulary. 'And it's something that all children can get involved with and enjoy.'
