Erfurt (dpa/th) – According to experts, the nationwide trend towards a deterioration in handwriting as a result of distance learning during the Corona period is also noticeable in Thuringia. Both the Thuringian Teachers’ Association (tlv) and the Thuringian Ministry of Education told the dpa about this observation. The development of one’s own signature is becoming increasingly difficult, said ministry spokesman Felix Knothe.
The tlv sees one of the main problems in the poor staffing of the schools. If the classes are too large and there are many children with special requirements, the teachers hardly have time to deal sufficiently with the supervision of individual pupils.
“During the Corona period, almost no individual support was possible. The already existing problems with writing got worse for many students during this time,” explains Marianela Diaz Meyer from the Schreibmotorik-Institut in Heroldsberg, Bavaria. According to a joint study with the Education and Training Association, around three-quarters of the 850 teachers surveyed had noticed a sometimes significant deterioration in the pupils’ performance. There are difficulties with legibility, writing speed and structured writing.
It seems uncertain whether the omissions can be made up for: The Ministry of Education sees the implementation of the goals formulated in the curricula as the task of the schools and refers to state agreements that are currently being drawn up. A pilot project by the Schreibmotorik Institut, which deals with the uncomplicated, interdisciplinary improvement of writing skills, should only deliver results in the course of the coming year.
