Overview
- Under the FlowBy model, pupils develop a personal, partly connected script directly from print instead of being taught a fully connected cursive.
- Researchers will assess handwriting in grades 2 to 4 for form, legibility, fluidity and speed, with digital tracking of pen movements to capture unseen strokes.
- Prior findings from Eva Odersky at the University of Eichstätt show fully connected cursive is slower than print or partly connected scripts on timed writing tasks.
- The current two-phase approach in Bavaria introduces a connected cursive after print, a method ministry officials say many children abandon by grade 3.
- Policy context varies: the KMK ruled in 2024 that required “connectedness” need not show on paper, several states permit print-based Grundschrift while Hessen restricts it, Switzerland has dropped traditional cursive, and the BLLV backs cursive yet urges teacher flexibility.