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What is a DUMTUM?

What is a DUMTUM?
Find out what a DUMTUM is and how this technique will help your child to set out their work correctly.

What is a DUMTUM?

Teachers often have a particular way that they prefer children to set out their work.

DUMTUMs are a way of reminding children how to present their work. The letters stand for:

Date
Underline
Miss a line
Title
Underline
Miss a line
Start

This is a good way to get children into the habit of presenting their work well. Often children will 'bunch up' their writing or spread it out too much. If they have this rule to follow they are being made aware of how to present their work well, which will hopefully become a habit.

Some teachers have these instructions on a poster next to the board, so that children are constantly reminded of how to set out their work.

Often, schools will make sure that all their teachers follow the same method for teaching children how to present their work, therefore expectations for presentation of work are kept consistent throughout a child's time at primary school and children will get into the habit of doing this from an early age.
 

 

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