BAD SPELLING

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 138, 12 June 1936, Page 11

BAD SPELLING

REPORT ON THE SCHOOLS

A WEAK SUBJECT

"Judged by the results of proficiency and other examinations in both formal and applied work, the subject of spelling does not appear to be making progress," remarked the inspectors in their annual report upon the work of the schools coming under the jurisdiction of the Wellington Education Board. "We feel," the report continues, "that in the treatment of spelling there remain certain definite weaknesses, several of which have been referred to in. earlier reports. In many cases the teaching is mechanical and devitalised, consisting mainly of the setting, dictating, and marking daily of a few words selected at random, a quite inadequate method which is calculated to dull rather than to quicken the 'spelling conscience.' "While no hard-and-fast method of treatment is laid down (for individual teachers achieve good results from widely different angles of approach), certain general principles may be stated. There should be vigorous and systematic presentation of words through visual, auditoov and motor senses. Failure to syllabify and pronounce words correctly is a very fertile source of error. As a commentary on pupils' speech the following typical examples from a list of inordinate length are somewhat disquieting: 'Granmother,' 'drownding,' 'shelted,' 'orded,' 'reconise,' 'probaly,' 'trouses,' 'Wairapa,' 'idear,' 'stror,' 'athaletic,' 'parth,' 'tess tube,' 'supprise.' VOWEL VALUES. "There should be definite teaching in phonic rules and principles. The numerous cases of failure to appreciate the difference between 'shine' and 'shin,' 'hoping' and 'hopping,' etc., indicate that vowel values are not understood. This important aspect of spelling is as a rule sufficiently stressed in the infant department, but appears to lose its place in the standard classes. Ample practice in dictation should be given, and there should be a fuller measure of correlation between spelling and such other subjects as geography and history. "There must be purposeful concentration and effort from the pupils. 'Poor spelling is poor discipline.' In this statement there is no suggestion that teachers should revert to the bad old way of meeting spelling mistakes with corporal punishment on a parallel scale of errors and 'cuts.' It merely indicates that faulty spelling is often the result of poor concentration."

Proficiency schedules, the report adds, showed that the marks gained in the dictation and spelling tests were not in harmony with those obtained in other subjects.