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The author describes working with refugees and immigrants who struggle with using writing utensils, drawing basic shapes, and correctly formatting letters. Using observations from classroom experiences and nonverbal guidance, the piece presents instructional strategies intended to reduce writing anxiety, improve letter coherence and legibility, and prepare learners for formal evaluation expectations. 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We service refugees and immigrants from all over the world. In the beginning level classroom, many refugee students require guidance and instruction when they use writing utensils. They do not know how to draw basic shapes, and format letters by hand. I have developed a methodology for instructors who encounter the same unique challenge of teaching adults how to write. A series of steps for helping adults develop handwriting skills is presented in the following article. This article is written for adult basic education instructors who hope to improve their students’ handwriting ability and proficiency.  \nKeywords: refugee, writing apprehension, demonstrated effectiveness, proficiency  \nHawa was about 5’ 8” tall and wore an African print scarf around her head. She had a contagious smile and said,“Teacher” when I met her. As she entered the classroom for the first time, I attempted to hand her a pen for the classroom sign-in sheet. She put her hands up and shook her head saying,“No, Teacher.” I quickly realized she did not want to write her name. I took her student identification card and wrote her name for her. I spelled her name aloud as I wrote, showing her how to write the letters correctly,“H-A-W-A.” She grinned, and slowly took a seat.  \nThis was not the first time one of my refugee students had apprehensions about writing. When an adult does not know how to write their name in their native language, they seem embarrassed and display overwhelming anxiety. Their facial  \nexpression is unidentifiable: a mix of fear and guilt. After teaching a beginning level English as a Second Language (ESL) class for refugee and immigrant adults for 4 years, I have come to recognize the unique, non-verbal cues that indicates a person is reluctant to write. I have learned the appropriate response and have become very aware of my facial expressions. I communicate with my students through nonverbal gestures and picture dictionaries. It is important that I am perceived by my students as positive and constantly supportive. I develop trusting relationships with my students so that they may learn in a safe environment and I witness authentic success stories.  \nI have developed a series of instructional strategies that help my students write English  \nCorrespondence: [dana_kuritz@isdschools.org](dana_kuritz@isdschools.org) 33  \nletters coherently. I know other ESL teachers have encountered this challenge in their classrooms and have voiced their concerns about refugee adult students not writing legibly. Therefore, I would like to share my observations, tactics, and conclusions with the adult education community. Hopefully, others will gain insight into this unique writing issue and use lessons I have created which show demonstrated effectiveness in improving writing skills.  \nListen Carefully  \nI begin each class with a listening exercise to determine my students’ writing ability. The first three words my students learn are: whiteboard, eraser, and marker. We listen to a series of 12 English letters, and I ask students to write the upper-and lower-case letters on individual whiteboards with dry erase markers. I use an internet website called,“Learning Chocolate,”which randomly selects the letters, and I write each letter on a large classroom whiteboard as students listen and write. The website, www. [learningchocolate.org](learningchocolate.org), provides a variety of vocabulary activities in several different languages.  \nI ask the students to listen by cupping my hand and putting it behind my ear while I say “Listen.”Then, I motion my ","cbCaicsxGNMzeFHU","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicsxGNMzeFHU","pdf",124756,"English","# Hawa Learns to Write: Strategies for Handwriting Instruction\n## Abstract\n## Keywords\n## Initial classroom response and student apprehension\n## Questions about learners and instructional needs\n## Listen carefully: warm-up and letter recognition","[{\"question\":\"What challenge does the author address in adult ESL handwriting instruction?\",\"answer\":\"The author addresses how some refugee and immigrant adult learners struggle with holding writing utensils, drawing basic shapes, and formatting letters correctly by hand.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the author begin each class to assess handwriting ability?\",\"answer\":\"Each class starts with a listening exercise where students learn letters and write upper- and lower-case forms on individual whiteboards.\"},{\"question\":\"What factors does the author consider when students do not write or write indistinctly?\",\"answer\":\"The author considers possible learning challenges, prior schooling experience, and physical, neurological, or emotional trauma that may affect handwriting, while noting limited access to students’ histories.\"}]","Hawa Learns to Write - Strategies for Handwriting Instruction | PDF",1792066102,13]