Why is Spelling Important to Teach and Learn?

A Spelling Inquiry Sample

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During our introduction to the Writing Process at the Editing stage, following the proofing reading marks, I encouraged students to circle words that needed spelling to be checked. I explained that they will use only 2 of 3 reason to place a circle around a word:

1. circle words that you want to be sure you spelt correctly
   
2. circle words that you know you struggled with and you feel are spelt incorrectly
   
3. I will circle words that you don’t know you have spelt incorrectly
   

So as part of the Editing stage, we pause for a Spelling Inquiry. This also needed an introduction. I had planned to model how to inquire into your own spelling but stopped myself once I was standing in front of my students, I felt that the first step I took would set the direction, tone and importance of what we were learning about and I thought, “Why was this important enough to teach and learn?” So that is where we began. We had an open discussion, sharing our thoughts, feelings, experiences, understanding and knowledge of spelling. 

Here are a few comments from our discussion:

• “You don’t know how to spell the word until you are told that you got it right or wrong, and then you still don’t know HOW to spell the word.”
  
• “I was in the bottom spelling group and given the easy words but I really wanted to spell the hard words.”
  
• “I am confident and good at spelling but I want to spell my own words.”
  

I found myself within a rich bank of information, so one technique I have used to capture student input, understanding or opinion is to use Graffiti Posters. I drafted 6 questions that I felt reflected our discussion:

1. What is spelling?
   
2. How do you spell?
   
3. How have you been learning to spell?
   
4. Can you spell?
   
5. How do you feel about spelling?
   
6. What strategies do you use to spell?
   

A summary of my student's feedback:

Spelling is writing, learning, remembering words. I use it in writing. It is to write a word I don’t know. It is writing each letter of the word and knowing how. I spell by writing down the word, sounding out, looking at a dictionary, using your brain and knowledge, looking at it, trying first and then having the teacher check. I have learned to spell by going to school and being given a list of words to study for a test and write out the words I get wrong three times. I learned to spell by looking at a list or in the dictionary. I learned how to spell from my Kindergarten teacher. I learned to spell by practicing the words and knowing the meaning. Yes I can spell. I can spell most of the time but if I write too fast without thinking I get it wrong. I can spell a bit, kind of, not really or some of the time. I’m not that good. No I cannot spell. I feel confident, ok, great, good and happy. I feel scared and frustrated. I sound out the word. I look, cover, write, check. I say it and think about it. I write it and see if it looks right. I use the dictionary. I don’t know what I do. 

So What?

Student’s history with spelling has shaped their self-concept and self-efficacy. In other words, their understanding of how they learn, their level of confidence and how they view themselves. Also accepted labels or self-labeling is already present with a full range of beliefs and feelings about spelling with the more negative responses from those who feel that are “bad at spelling”. It seems that developing, a range and an awareness of, strategies is key. Also target an understanding of what a useful strategy is when encoding. The feedback is very similar, in range, type, cause and effect, as when I ask students about Mathematics.

Resources

For further reading about this you can read my previous posts:

1. Spelling Inquiry in PD Bites 05/03/2012
2. Spelling Inquiry in PD Bites 16/03/2011

Alternatively you can get a read a great booklet by Steve Peha called All's Well That Spells Well from Teaching That Makes Sense at http://www.ttms.org/   Also the Inquiry Cycle Picture is from http://www.flickr.com/photos/istlibrary/2304444220/ and inspired by Kath Murdoch.