There has been a lot of debate about how spelling in English has been taught through the years.
One group advocates the use of invented spelling – where beginning spellers attempt to spell words using whatever knowledge of visual patterns or sounds the person has.
Spelling researchers and purists such as J. Richard Gentry, on the other hand, lament how we now have "a whole generation of children who are really poor spellers" (Los Angeles Times, 1997).
In defense of invented spelling, Burns, Griffin & Snow (1999) point out:
- "It is important for parents and teachers to understand that invented spelling is not in conflict with correct spelling. On the contrary, it plays an important role in helping children learn how to write."
So how can this improve spelling skills?
They explain that when invented spelling is used, children exercise their growing knowledge of phonemes, alphabet letters, and their confidence in the alphabetic principles as well.
The thing to keep in mind here, though, is that invented spelling should only be used as a springboard for eventual conventional spelling.
Unfortunately, in the 1980s, "holistic teaching" was introduced and traditional methods of teaching spelling were thrown out, together with Dick-and-Jane readers and grammar books.
Spelling skills declined well into the higher grades. Parents and educators suddenly found the need to do something about the spelling skills of these students – and quickly.
Programs designed to improve spelling skills share a few common characteristics.
For one, a certain period of time should be devoted each day to spelling practice.
Second, word study should "incorporate systematic techniques for studying words" (Griffith & Leavell, 1995). Systematic strategies usually include rubrics that provide some organized procedure for studying new words.
Third, patterns between words are observed, and words can be sorted out by spelling.
More advanced spelling students can also study the Latin and Greek roots of words to study their morphemic patterns.
Finally, testing and retesting is essential to ensure mastery of the new words learned.
It's also convenient to improve spelling skills with the use of downloadable software such as the popular Ultimate Spelling software, which includes a feature that tracks a user's learning curve.
"English spelling, as well as in many other languages, consists of three elements: morphology, etymology, and phonology" (Devonshire & Fluck, 2010). As traditional spelling instruction focuses primarily on phonology and hardly touches on etymology and morphology, intervention is necessary, and the Ultimate Spelling software, which thoroughly covers those three elements, is expected to cause a dramatic improvement in spelling-challenged students.
References:
Burns, M S, Griffin, P & Snow, C E 1999, Starting out right: A guide to promoting children's reading success, National Academies Press, Washington, DC.
Devonshire, V & Fluck, M 2010, 'Spelling development: Fine-tuning strategy-use and capitalising on the connections between words', Learning and Instruction, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 361-371.
Griffith, P L & Leavell, J A, 1995, 'There isn't much to say about spelling...or is there?', Childhood Education, vol. 72, no. 2, pp. 84-90.
Los Angeles Times 1997, 'Nation faces a bad spell – Students' word skills on decline,' 22 June, viewed 11 July 2010, < http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970622&slug=2545814>.