Fed up, decided to homeschool this year - principal said "kids can just use spellcheck" (state school, grade)

[stepka]

Originally Posted by RogersParkGuy

As someone with a background in applied linguistics, I can tell you that contrary to what most people believe, spelling tests and spelling lists are almost useless pedagogical tools.

The use of such methods was inspired by behaviorist assumptions about language acquisition, assumptions we now know to be false. The idea was that proper spelling was a "habit" students acquired through repetition. It was deemed critically important that spelling words be isolated and any mistakes be immediately corrected to prevent students from acquiring the habit of spelling them incorrectly.

But this is not how people actually learn to spell.

Spelling "mistakes" change over time, as part of a gradual acquisition of standard spelling. It is similar to the way a child starts out using words like "bow-bow" for the family pet, then goes to "doggie" and, finally, "dog." As long as students read and write regularly, their spelling almost always develops over time.

The reason lots of people can't spell is they don't read enough. It isn't because they don't memorize spelling lists.

Actually this is what I used to believe also but when my older dd first started homeschooling in the beginning of second grade, her spelling was fine. We dropped the spelling lists and her spelling got worse and worse, despite the fact that she was reading plenty of books. When I say worse, I mean below grade level. The next year I bought workbooks with grammar and spelling exercises and got that straightened out. The only workbooks we ever used for homeschooling were math and grammar/spelling exercises and that was all we needed. The rest we got from reading, well chosen videos, and experiences.

OP, if you choose to homeschool, may I suggest you have them keep a journal and write in it every day? It helps their writing skills immensely, even if you don't correct them, and makes for highly entertaining reading a few years from now.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by Kreutz

Spulling iz obsulete.

Seriously though, there is some truth in the principles statement; we're increasingly a purely digitally based writing system.

I really can't for the life of me remember handwriting anything in my college days or in my career. Everything used word processing programs or had some type of de facto spell check running in the background.

Even this post caught my (unintentional) typos/spelling errors.

I think this varies greatly based on field. I handwrite daily at my work, as well as type, and did in college, as well.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by RogersParkGuy

As long as students read and write regularly, their spelling almost always develops over time.

I don't know about that. One of my sisters was in GATE all through school and now has an MBA, and she admits that she still can't spell to save her life.

It was deemed critically important that spelling words be isolated and any mistakes be immediately corrected to prevent students from acquiring the habit of spelling them incorrectly. But this is not how people actually learn to spell.

Yet it's better than no instruction in spelling. On the side I tutor alternative ed kids in high school. I recently read one boy's essay in which he referred to a "fun razor." What's that, I asked. He began describing it, and I realized he meant "fundraiser."

The reason lots of people can't spell is they don't read enough.

Agree with you there. It's also a reason why so many kids can't write today.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by MattOTAlex

Insanity and inanity.

Further evidence of the downfall of public schools. Just affirms the need for private schools and other alternative educational approaches like homeschooling.

Assuming the conversation was reported correctly! Perhaps the principal meant spelling wasn't important in FIRST GRADE. I remember that's what my kids' teachers said, and I also recall no spelling taught in my own schooling in first grade.

BTW, Spazkat9696, my spell checker says you spelled two words incorrectly in your post above!

[germaine2626]

Originally Posted by Bludy-L

To this day, I continue to give credit to one CP English teacher that handed out a new vocabulary word each day with a little cartoon using that word in it.

The cartoons still stick in my mind and made remembering while learning that word (spelling and meaning) fun.

I ran into her son not long ago and told him how much I appreciated her. She's long since died, but I will never forget her. At a high school reunion this summer, a group of us all said she was the one teacher, while strict and tough, we feel left the most lasting impression on us all.

Posted with TapaTalk

Several of the honors & AP English teachers at our local high school have weekly spelling/vocabulary lists as "extra" practice for ACT and other college tests. They have the students draw pictures to help remember the meaning of each work. The teachers say that it really helps each student as they need to come up with something specific to their life to help them remember each meaning.

[Bludy-L]

Do schools even offer Latin as a language anymore?

While many think it's useless, I credit my Latin classes with making me a better speller and better at understanding words....especially in science.

I had an advantage in college over people who didn't take Latin. Spelling counted in my biology, physiology, and anatomy classes for my BS degree.

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[Tinawina]

I think invented spelling is the norm in kindergarten and first grade now. I have to say that for both my kids, they started out kindergarten as horrible spellers and ended first grade as much better spellers, and they never had a spelling test. They were, however, required to read 20 minutes a day, plus they had lists of sight words they were required to learn.

Spelling tests started in second grade for both, and it's really spelling/vocabulary study because they have to learn the meanings, use them in sentences, and spell them. It seems to work fine.

OP I would see what happens in the second or third grade at your school. Principals often don't know or understand what is happening in the classroom.

I also agree there is nothing stopping you from teaching spelling words yourself. You don't have to go as far as homeschooling for that.

[Spazkat9696]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Assuming the conversation was reported correctly! Perhaps the principal meant spelling wasn't important in FIRST GRADE. I remember that's what my kids' teachers said, and I also recall no spelling taught in my own schooling in first grade.

BTW, Spazkat9696, my spell checker says you spelled two words incorrectly in your post above!

Maybe, but I don't care. You wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for your "spell checker". This is a for fun forum not work. Besides I post from an iPad which has a mind of its own with regards to spelling.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Spazkat9696

Maybe, but I don't care. You wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for your "spell checker". This is a for fun forum not work. Besides I post from an iPad which has a mind of its own with regards to spelling.

I just thought it was ironic, that's all. Before I got Firefox, I think I made a lot of typos.

[hypocore]

Originally Posted by Momzuki

I am so frustrated because we moved to an area that is supposed to have great public schools. Kindergarten was great and the teacher was willing to let me son work on his level, at least enough to keep him from going crazy. This year was a different story, and I'm glad I found out at the beginning of the year. I tried to work with the school but I was totally shut down.

My biggest clue that there was a HUGE problem was when the teacher said there would not be any spelling lists or spelling tests. In first grade! Even prior to this, I suspected something might be a problem because of the poor quality of work that was coming home. Very different from last year.

I delved a little deeper into the spelling issue and the principal told me that kids didn't need to learn how to spell because they can just use spellcheck! He said spelling isn't even important enough to be on the report card in the upper grades. He also told me that public school cannot meet the needs of a gifted child, and that my son is ahead so I should not worry and everything would "even out by third grade."

The teacher, principal, assistant principal, and curriculum director all assured me that "word study" would teach conventional spelling of irregular words. Because I am a former teacher, I knew that it would not. I found an author who also was concerned about spelling not being explicitly taught, and I voiced my concerns. He wrote an article about us and our decision to homeschool:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...spelling-tests

Spelling was just the tip that led to opening the whole thing up. Reading and math were not ok, either. As I asked questions I kept getting more and more dismayed.

One thing to consider is learning styles and teaching styles are really not one size fits all. That's easy to think, but much more challenging to accept and adopt for many people. In other words, simply because a teaching method is not your preferred way does not mean it will not work for your child.

For instance, speaking to just the subject of spelling, many people are so accustomed to their own way of learning, that they can't easily understand learning any other way. Perhaps seeing words written, writing them out repeatedly and saying them out loud cements the spelling for you. However, what if that does not work for your son? What if he learns better by understanding the patterns of sounds and uses that when he hears the word before he even sees it?

Think about when he was learning to read. Let's begin with the assumption he learned the sounds of each letter before he began to actually read on his own.
Did he ask you what sound did 'sh' make together when he saw it written the first time or did he ask why 'sh' made the sound it did after first hearing it?
Did he try to make a sound for the 'e' at the end of a word or did he ask you why the 'e' was even there? Did he always make the hard 'c' sound when he saw the letter c in a word or did he stop to figure out if it was hard or soft?
Did he try to make separate sounds for 'ou' when sounding out words with that in it or did he look at the surrounding words to help figure it out?

If the answer is yes to the first part of each question, then maybe lists and tests will work well for him. If the answer is yes to the second part of each question then lists and tests will probably not help him much in learning to spell.

If you watch the kids in the national spelling bee you will see that most of the participants are using their knowledge of patterns, usage of the words in a sentence (surrounding words) and origin of the word to correctly spell unfamiliar words. The reason these kids are in the spelling bee to begin with is because of the way they learn. You can be quite certain that the ones at the top don't learn from lists and tests.

My 5th grade son taught himself to read by the time he was 3 because he was determined to do so. He would ask questions about why certain words were spelled certain ways. He did not ask how were they pronounced. Once he heard the explanation of a spelling rule he understood it and used it with ease. Once he saw/heard the spelling of a word he rarely missed it after that.
Spelling lists and words are nothing more than busy work for him. The only time he has gotten less than 100 was when they had to hand write their tests and the teacher couldn't read his writing. Now that they take their tests on the computer with Spelling City he has a guaranteed 100 every week. Even when he picked his own words for his list, he learned them the first time he saw/heard them and he was picking 9th grade words in 2nd grade.

So, to him, spelling lists and words mean absolutely nothing, even back in Kindergarten. As long as he is given a definition, usage and sees it once, he can spell it.

What if your son is like mine and spelling lists and tests really have no benefit for him? Just because you may believe wholeheartedly in the traditional way doesn't mean it is best for him. Same goes for the other subjects.

Just something for thought.