Teaching spelling

TEACHING SPELLING IN THE DIGITAL TIMES

https://mygulitypleasures.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/spelling-screenplay-contest-com.jpg?w=285&h=300

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/b1/e1/35/b1e135cdb9f8170cb59f890288507f85.jpg

http://www.padhokhelo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/god-doesnt-but-you-made-mistake-funny.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/9a/6a/68/9a6a688f8104ba4a0f1d72472dd55d9d.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B59tBJ7CUAAYIdl.jpg

http://www.tahonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Pinoy-FB-wrong-English-2.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/vDiP3KRJej8/VDKwUA84cRI/AAAAAAAA6dw/ku_jtKzXCeA/s1600/Screenshot_2014-10-06-19-05-45.png

http://www.poynter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/correrction1.jpg

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/spelling-grammar-mistakes

http://mascola.com/insights/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/clip_image002-500x3501.jpg

http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/hubfs/00-Blog-Related_Images/blog/HubSpot_Spelling.png?t=1444127647931&width=669

So, what are educators seeing?

Problems on:

Capitalization

Correct Spelling

Punctuation

Proper Sentence Structure

Formal writing skills

Not only in the classroom…

• Standard Tests

• E-mail

• Job applications

• Resumes

Long term effects of text messaging

• Constant spelling and grammatical errors • Inappropriate abbreviations • Negative effects on interpersonal communication • Distraction in class - jeopardize academic future • Expected rise in the number of high school

dropouts • Children being taught to write at a rapid pace are

failing to think analytically - answering quickly without much thought.

• Decline in college-bound children.

How did you learn to spell?

Why do we need to spell correctly?

• "The correlation between spelling and reading comprehension is high because both depend on a common denominator: proficiency with language. The more deeply and thoroughly a student knows a word, the more likely he or she is to recognize it, spell it, define it, and use it appropriately in speech and writing."

• "the major goal of the English writing system is not merely to ensure accurate pronunciation of the written word – it is to convey meaning. If words that sound the same (e.g., rain, rein and reign) were spelled the same way, their meanings would be harder to differentiate."

Joshi, Treiman, Carreker and Moats (2009)

Why do we need to spell correctly?

poor spelling creates a bad impression

it's the first thing a reader notices

examiners, teachers and prospective employers often place weight on spelling

anxiety about spelling inhibits individuals’ writing… and their choice of words

even in these days of word processors, human intervention is of prime importance

• Despite the variety of technological aids, students still need to develop a conscious awareness of the logic that guides spelling at the level of sound and the level of meaning.

• Therefore technology devices should be used in order to support a systematic word study program.

Templeton, S. (2006). Dispelling spelling assumptions: Technology and spelling, present and future. International handbook of literacy and technology (pp. 335-339). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

To improve and develop their spelling learners need to:

• develop an interest in words • feel safe about trying new words, not just words they're

sure about • learn about the way words are built up using syllables • learn basic spelling patterns of English • learn memorizing strategies • learn the meanings of words • learn about prefixes and suffixes • write for their own enjoyment, without the fear that

they will be criticized • read for pleasure

Importance of Teaching Spelling

• “Those who set out to remember every letter of every word never make it. Those who try to spell by sound alone will be defeated. Those who learn how to walk through words with sensible expectations, noting sound, pattern and meaning relationships will know what to remember, and they will learn English.”

Tompkins, G., Campbell, R., & Green, D. (2012). Literacy for the 21st Century. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia


• Bad spelling also gives others a bad impression about you. No matter what you say, if the spelling is poor, the reader will notice this before anything else. Punctuation errors often go unnoticed, but everyone notices spelling errors.

• Even in the workplaces, signs and directions should be spelled correctly so that people will follow and respect what has been written.

http://www.vocabulary.co.il/why-learning-spelling-words-is-important/


• Resumes are typically written using various writing software programs. Even poor spellers feel comfortable writing resumes with these systems, but what most people don’t realize is that spell check is not 100% accurate. Just begin you don’t see a green or red line, that does not mean that there are no errors in your resume. If your spelling ability is strong, you do not have to worry about not being able to see your own mistakes. A poorly written resume will not get you a job.

http://www.vocabulary.co.il/why-learning-spelling-words-is-important/


• Stretches across every aspect of the curriculum

• Essential for oral and written language

• Spelling is the process of representing language by means of a writing system”

( National Council of Teachers of English, 1996. p. 51).


• “Students need to learn to spell words

conventionally so that they can communicate effectively through writing”

(Tompkins, G., Campbell, R. Green, D., 2012. p. 169)

• Poor spelling skills are associated with poor writing skills

• Standardized writing tests


• “Spelling strategies, punctuation conventions, handwriting and word-processing skills should be taught across all years of schooling. There should be a strong early focus on establishing strategies and a knowledge of conventions that can be consolidated and extended in the later years.”

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (2009)


• “Sometimes they spell a word the way it sounds (that is, applying their knowledge of phonics), while at other times they spell a word the way they recall seeing it. These writing/spelling strategies draw children’s attention to the conventions of print, enabling them to begin to read like writers”.

-National Council of Teachers of English (1996)

Different views on teaching spelling

• In the past, primarily taught through rote learning by adhering to certain rules Templeton & Morris (1999)

• Traditional method: studying and learning words in lists as presented in commercially published ‘spellers’

Wallace (2006)


• Some even believe that explicit spelling instruction is not necessary, and immersing students in reading and writing is adequate. -Winch (2002)

• Although word knowledge is best developed

through contextual reading and writing, many students require careful teacher guidance and much practice if they are to internalize foundational spelling patterns.

-Templeton and Morris (1999)


• The spelling system not only represents sound; it represents meaning as well

- Templeton (2003)

• Teacher directed: guide students to an understanding of how particular spelling features and patterns operate

- Templeton & Morris (1999)

• Focus on spelling patterns, not individual words - though these may be added if necessary - Templeton & Morris (1999)

Developmental Stages of Spelling

• According to most literacy experts, spelling is a developmental process

- Tompkins et al.( 2012), Westwood (1999)

• When teachers understand that spelling is developmental, they will structure their teaching differently, and give students word lists that suit their individual need.

-Wallace (2006)

Developmental Stages

Tompkins, Campbell, & Green (2012), and Westwood (1999)

Spelling Knowledge

• Phonology – how words sound

• Sight – how words look in print or writing

• Morphemes – how words are constructed from meaningful elements

• Etymology – how words are derived;

word origins

- Winch (2002)

Spelling Activities

• Word sorts

• Board/card games – only effective if focusing on word groups that reflect spelling patterns

• Word wheels

• Flip charts

• Word slides

Spelling Strategies

• By sight (how it appears printed/written)

• By hearing (how it sounds: phonemic awareness)

• By speaking (articulation)

• By meaning and analogy (thinking and problem solving)

-Winch (2002) and Westwood (1999)

Is Spell Check Creating a Generation of Dummies?

• Though the technology has improved significantly since 1980, with spelling and grammar checkers learning how to sort out the context of words, it still isn't as good as the human eye. And it never will be. Now, doesn't that feel good?

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/spell_check/

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

• The flood of informal writing on Facebook, Twitter and other social media have not only inundated people with non-standard grammar but also heightened awareness of the value of grammar.

http://mypage.siu.edu/leverett/fbow.html

http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/hubfs/00-Blog-Related_Images/Nike_Grammar_Police.png?t=1444127647931&width=669

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g1nqOu29zE

Grammar technology for better or worse

• Grammar technology is ubiquitous.

• There are different kinds of grammar technology.

• Each student has been influenced not only by what he/she has read, and who he/she has been taught by, but also what the technology has responded to what he/she has written

• When a student is told one thing by a teacher, and another by a grammar-checker, the end result is usually paralysis

TESOL 2010 http://mypage.siu.edu/leverett/fbow.html

Grammar technology for better or worse, TESOL 2010

• Grammar-check technology may give people the impression that it's fixed their errors.

• Technology gives people the impression that they don't have to bother learning something anymore.

http://mypage.siu.edu/leverett/fbow.html

Some thoughts

o Go to where students are and don’t expect them to come to you.

o Technology is like a box of chocolates – you only need

to eat the ones you like o PowerPoint is NOT evil! o Take baby steps to start with…and when you feel

ready, BE BRAVE!

Other References • Itsdanimoe (2012). Retrieved from

http://www.slideshare.net/itsdanimoe?utm_campaign=pro filetracking&utm_medium=sssite&utm_source=ssslideview

• Bush, H. (2008). The Classroom Spelling Program: More than Learning Words. Practically Primary, 13(2), 26-28. • National Council of Teachers of English.(1996). Standards for the

English Language Arts. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/S ample/StandardsDoc.pdf • Templeton, S. (2003). Spelling: Best ideas = Best Practices. Voices From the Middle, 10(4), 48-49. • Templeton, S., & Morris, D. (1999). Theory and Research into Practice: Questions Teachers Ask about Spelling. Reading Research Quarterly, 34(1), 102-112. • Tompkins, G., Campbell, R., & Green, D. (2012). Literacy for the 21st Century. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia.

http://www.slideshare.net/itsdanimoe?utm_campaign=pro



http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/S



Other References

• Tompkins, G., Campbell, R., & Green, D. (2012). Literacy for the 21st Century. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia. • Wallace, R. (2006). Characteristics of Effective Spelling Instruction. Reading Horizons, 46(4), 267-278. • Westwood, P. (1999). How do children acquire spelling skills?

Spelling: Approaches to Teaching and Assessment. (pp. 7- 17). Victoria: The Australian Council for Educational Research.

• Winch, G. (2002). Writing skills in the classroom: handwriting and spelling. Literacy: Reading, Writing and Children's Literature. (pp. 217-243). Australia: Oxford University Press. • Joshi, R., Treiman, R., Carreker, S., & Moats, L.. (2008-2009, Winter). The real magic of spelling: Improving reading and writing. American Educator , 9. http://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/joshi.pdf p. 10

Agyaman kami, apo!

Naragsak a panagisur-suro kadagiti sumarunu a lider iti pagilyan.

Dios ti agngina