The D'Nealian Method (sometimes misspelled ''Denealian''), is a style of writing and teaching

handwriting Handwriting is the writing done with a writing instrument, such as a pen or pencil, in the hand. Handwriting includes both printing and cursive styles and is separate from formal calligraphy or typeface A typeface (or font family) is ...

based on

Latin script The Latin script, also known as Roman script, is an alphabetic writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae, in southern Italy ...

which was developed between 1965 and 1978 by Donald N. Thurber (1927–2020) in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, United States. Building on his experience as a primary school teacher, Thurber aimed to make the transition from

print writing Block letters (known as printscript, manuscript, print writing or ball and stick in academics) are a sans-serif (or "gothic") style of writing Latin script in which the letters are individual glyphs, with no joining. Elementary education in En ...

cursive Cursive (also known as script, among other names) is any style of penmanship in which characters are written joined in a flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing faster, in contrast to block letters. It varies in functionalit ...

easier for learners.

History

Donald Neal Thurber (December 15, 1927 in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

– January 6, 2020 in

Monroe, Michigan Monroe is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Monroe had a population of 20,462 in the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomo ...

) received a bachelor's degree from the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of T ...

and a master's degree from

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

. He began teaching elementary pupils in

Luna Pier Luna Pier is a city in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,382 at the 2020 census. The city is located north of the Ohio state border along the coast of Lake Erie. Previously known as Lakewood, it was established i ...

in 1953. While teaching first grade in 1961, Thurber examined what he regarded the illogic of handwriting education in the US. From 1965, he developed the D'Nealian Method as an alternative to

teaching script A teaching script is a sample script that serves as a visual orientation for learning to write by hand. In the sense of a guideline or a prototype, it supports the demanding process of developing handwriting skills and abilities in a visual and i ...

s then available. The name of the D'Nealian Method comes from Thurber's first name contracted with his middle name ("Neal"). Thurber's system of writing was first publicly introduced in the United States in 1978. Thurber eventually retired in 1984 as principal of Chapman Elementary School.

Description

The D'Nealian Method of handwriting is derived from the Palmer Method with an alphabet comprising two different sets of letters – one for print writing (sometimes also called "manuscript printing"), and one for cursive writing. Thirteen letters change shape between print and cursive, while the

slant Slant can refer to: Bias *Bias or other non-objectivity in journalism, politics, academia or other fields Technical * Slant range, in telecommunications, the line-of-sight distance between two points which are not at the same level * Slant d ...

of 85 degrees, measured counterclockwise from the base line, does not change at all. Thurber designed the D'Nealian Method to alleviate the problems with teaching children the traditional script method and the subsequent difficulty transitioning to

writing. When learning the D'Nealian Method of handwriting, students are first taught a form of

devised by Thurber. The letters of D'Nealian

have many similarities with the cursive version. In the second step, so-called "monkey tails" are added to the print writing, which in the third step are joined together to form the D'Nealian cursive script.

Prevalence

When the D'Nealian Method was introduced in 1978, it quickly became popular and led to a significant decline in the use of the previously leading

Zaner-Bloser Method The Zaner-Bloser (also Zaner-Bloser Method) is a teaching script for handwriting based on Latin script as well as a system of penmanship instruction, which originated around 1904 at the Zanerian College of Penmanship in Columbus, Ohio. Charles P ...

. In theory, it is easier for children to learn and acquire basic handwriting skills using D'Nealian than traditional cursive methods. It has been claimed that close to 90% of US

schoolchildren A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...

who follow the traditional print-then-cursive route to handwriting are taught either the Zaner-Bloser or the D'Nealian alphabet.

Criticism

A key issue with Thurber's system is the manner of letter formation. The addition of so-called "monkey tails" to

as learners progress to cursive writing effectively adds a further step to the teaching and learning path. While some find such an additional step beneficial for a smooth transition from print writing to cursive, others view it as unnecessarily complicating how children are taught to write. Another common issue is that D'Nealian is taught extremely early, to

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

second grade Second grade (also called grade two, corresponding to Year 3 in the United Kingdom) is a year of primary education in Canada and the United States. Second grade is the second year of primary school. Children are usually aged 7–8 at this grade l ...

students, many of whom are still learning the rudiments of print writing. At times, some school districts have abruptly changed their teaching of handwriting, possibly causing difficulties for students who must then adapt to a different style. A 1993 research review by Steve Graham concludes that "there is no credible evidence" that D'Nealian makes a difference in children's handwriting. He also states that D'Nealian creates practical problems for teachers (who must themselves learn the system and defend it to parents) and that it requires many young children to unlearn writing forms that they have already developed before formal instruction..

References

{{European calligraphy Penmanship Typefaces and fonts introduced in 1978 Western calligraphy

History

Description

Prevalence

Criticism

See also

References