Some children simply shut down and give up. Learning to spell has to be seen as a developmental process as a result of which children move towards standard spelling more or less fast. But the latter often depends on their positive experiences, applied teaching strategies and learning styles. This means that some children with a natural capacity for spelling will progress very quickly with little or no explicit teaching but others will need instruction that will take them from one stage to the next.
Observation of the words learners are able to spell correctly and the ways they misspell words also reveals a progress from an emerging letter-sound relationship to more proficient use of spelling strategies. Investing time in teaching spelling is only beneficial if spelling instruction is followed by ongoing practice activities.
Seeing, hearing and typing spellings are more effective than just trying to remember words by rote. We should introduce students to different effective memorizing techniques and encourage learners to use them and this is where technology comes in. Spelling tests support short term memory which may not lead to permanent learning. Spelling tests are difficult when the words are all different and have nothing in common as children need to remember all the parts of every individual word.
The lists that are organised according to high frequency lists or common word patterns, i. They do not yet know how their spelling system differs from the conventional spelling system but they have learnt the names of the letters of the alphabet, they have started to pay attention to sounds in words and now they put those two discoveries together. They need to be reassured that taking risks is an important step towards becoming a competent speller.
If the pupil has to pause and think before writing a word it has not been learned adequately. Children take different routes into the spelling system and develop as spellers in different ways. Children who struggle with dyslexia often have trouble with both processes. This is also the case for homophones, words which sound the same but are written in a different way, such as there and their.
The more a word is encountered in reading, the easier it is to remember its spelling. The more a dyslexic student writes a word by hand, the more its spelling becomes automatic. This is also the case with touch-typing because spelling is encoded as a series of muscle movements. In fact many individuals with specific learning difficulties find it easier to spell when touch-typing than using a pen or pencil. The ability to type can also lead to improvements in written spelling.
Dyslexia is a language based learning difference commonly associated with spelling difficulties and reading problems. However, it can also affect memory and processing skills.
There are different kinds of dyslexia but the most common type makes it hard for people to split language into its component sounds. And while not being able to spell can be helped through spell-check and proofreading, reading difficulties are far more serious as they can cause kids to quickly fall behind at school.
There can be letter reversals, substitutions of same-shaped letters, difficulty with vowel sounds and trouble learning common service words that are abstract and harder to visualize.
Learn more about dyslexia related spelling difficulties and strategies for learners. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is also used as an umbrella term for attention deficit disorder without the hyperactivity.
Short-term memory issues make it harder to remember the spelling of challenging words and there is often less attention to neatness and proofreading of writing. Written work may also be full of spelling mistakes and crossed out bits of language due to the impulsivity associated with ADHD.
Dysgraphia and dyspraxia are both conditions that impact on writing skills. In dyspraxia, the fine motor skills needed to hold a pen or pencil can make writing by hand physically painful.
There are different kinds of dysgraphia but sometimes just writing in a straight line or staying within margins is a challenge. Because of this distraction, writing is often a frustrating and exhausting process, which results in hard-to-read handwriting and many misspelled words.
Learn more about strategies for dysgraphia and helping students with dyspraxia. Because encoding requires you to hear the sounds in language, individuals who struggle with hearing impairment may have a less developed sense of phonemic awareness, particularly if the hearing loss was not caught early. They may commonly miss out on a letter or mistake one letter for another and must rely more on memory and rote learning to spell vs. Surprisingly, hearing loss is one of the most common causes of language delays in individuals with Down syndrome.
In a language like Spanish or German there is a correspondence of sounds to letters which means that if you can say a word, you can usually spell it.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for English , which has plenty of exceptions to its spelling rules and multiple ways of spelling the same sound. This poses a problem for second language learners as spelling is not intuitive.
As with any kind of learning, involving more than just the eyes and ears helps to create a rich sensory experience that reinforces information in memory. Here are some ideas for taking a multi-sensory approach to spelling. Get more ideas for creative approaches to teaching spelling.
What about reading? Literacy skills are linked and sometimes, as in the case with dyslexia, difficulties with spelling may also be a sign of trouble with reading. Students who struggle with reading can have low comprehension because words are misread. Reading may also take longer and be a frustrating task, particularly as it requires so much cognitive energy. Fortunately, activities that are designed to target spellings skills can have a positive impact on reading.
Repeat exposure to words helps automatize their recognition so students begin to read by sight, instead of sounding each word out.
Learn more about sight reading. Teaching students to spell is a fundamental part of primary and secondary school curriculum and involves examining demonstrative word patterns in English. Yet, while it is important to spell a word correctly, teaching staff should recognize that fostering ideas development, organisation and creativity in writing are all equally important.
If learning to spell becomes a persistent challenge, a spelling diagnostic test can be used to identify which letters and phonemes are most difficult for the student and allow educators to concentrate teaching efforts accordingly. Spelling is not always the most important aspect of a word to learn, but issues with spelling can signal underlying struggles with phonics and word recognition, which have far more serious consequences than the distraction posed by a misspelled word.
This is because part of reading involves matching sounds to letters and letter combinations in order to decode words. Incorrect mapping can cause students to misidentify English words and lead to comprehension difficulties.
What can you do if you think you may have a student whose struggles with spelling are related to dyslexia? First, ensure they have access to the proper assessment measures so both the student and his or her parents can better understand any learning difficulties that may be present.
Next, implement strategies based on diagnostic test results which point to the exact difficulties the student is experiencing. Learn more about spelling strategies for learners with dyslexia. Introduce tools and resources which are known to aid performance in spelling, reading and writing tasks. Finally, provide plenty of reassurance and support to keep students motivated, recognizing that working through learning difficulties can only happen one step at a time. Self-efficacy, or the ability to break a task down into manageable steps, is a crucial factor in determining whether or not a student with dyslexia can manage the challenges they face in an academic environment.
A popular approach for helping dyslexic children over age 7 is to introduce a self-directed course where practice can be delivered gradually, with plenty of praise and milestones to build confidence along the way. Learn more about touch-typing for individuals with dyslexia.
Multi-sensory touch-typing, spelling and phonics training is often a preferred route as it teaches individuals to recognize words and spell with their fingers.
Much of this training can be delivered via computers and online courses like Touch-type Read and Spell, which means progress is made both at school and in the home environment. Teaching individuals to look for patterns in words and spell using their fingers not only empowers learners but can have extremely positive results with regards to English reading comprehension skills.
Do you have any experience with dyslexia and spelling? Join the discussion in the comments.
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