DT>  SK>I am GLAD the teachers are doing this. My kids bring their lists home
DT>  SK>and we practice and study the words. I drill them on the lists
DT>  SK>orally, give them a practice quiz, and the words they get wrong they
DT>  SK>have to write out several times each for me. How can you say this is
DT>  SK>a waste of time?
DT>  The activity you describe is a home activity.  This is not a waste of
DT>  time for several reasons.  For one, some children do preform well with
DT>  spelling lists and are supported with their studying at home.  But, you
DT>  can probably imagine how few parents actually take the time to work with
DT>  their children at home on these lists.
So, because not all the parents (probably a significant portion) are not
supporting the spelling program at home, we should discontinue it for all?
How about educating the parents who are not yet reinforcing the spelling
at home, so that they will begin to do so?
DT>  Another good reason for this home activity is that it gets the child and
DT>  the parents doing something productive together.  Time spent with your
DT>  children is not a waste of time, it is an investment.  I would guess
DT>  that you invest yourself in other important way in the lives of your
DT>  children too.  What I was referring to as a "waste of time" is the
DT>  practice of providing a list on Monday and then giving a pretest.  Some
DT>  stuff in between (usually minimal) and then the post test on Friday.
DT>  For some teachers, this is the essence of their spelling program.  Alone
DT>  this is a waste of time.  For me, it's the stuff in between that counts.
I would agree, that without the stuff in between, it is a waste of time. So,
educate the teachers also.
DT>  Kids don't learn from the pretest and they don't learn from the post-
DT>  test.  It's the stuff in the middle that's important.  I think the job
DT>  can be done within the context of each child's writing.
DT>  Perhaps I could describe a program in more detail and then it would be
DT>  easier to understand.  I think the program I would describe would
DT>  probably contain many instructional strategies that you would favor.
Go ahead, if you like. I tend to favor testing at some point, with
children who are old enough, since most people work best with some sort
of deadline in mind. I know that my high school students accomplish little
when there isn't an announced quiz or test within the next few days, as
compared to what they can accomplish when a quiz or test looms.
DT>  SK>To say that it is a waste of time to practice
DT>  SK>such, makes me wonder what you think in general of memorizing facts
DT>  SK>and studying. Surely you don't think such stuff is a waste of time.
DT>  Your field is math.  I have asked at our school why kids don't learn
DT>  their basic math facts (8x8= etc...).  I was told that many are not able
DT>  to grasp it.  They begin teaching it in 3rd grade.  I asked the 3rd
DT>  grade teachers if their kids were getting it.  The answer was that most
DT>  could not get all the facts memorized and those that did memorize most
DT>  of them lost it over the summer.  Even as they were entering 5th grade
DT>  many had not mastered their facts.  I always loved math as a kid and I
DT>  mastered my basic math facts very early (3rd grade??).  I was a sort of
DT>  a whiz kid in elementary.
These teachers must not be using good teaching strategies, or else the kids
are getting zero support from home. There is, as far as I know (keep in mind,
elementary ed is not my field) a SMALL group of kids who cannot memorize
their math facts. They are usually LD identifiable. But most of the kids
should be able to learn them.
DT>  Advanced algebra took the wind out of my
DT>  sails and trigonometry sunk my ship.
I am surprised at this remark, above, since you recently said that you had
a fairly strong math background and went back to school intending to be
a high school math teacher?
DT>  What am I saying here?  Well, I'm not sure that the learning of facts of
DT>  any kind actually can translate into real thinking skills.  But I don't
DT>  deny that the possession of certain facts may provide the foundation to
DT>  further learning.
While fact-memorizing has received much criticism in recent years, as Leona
has pointed out before, you can't learn anything if you don't know anything
to begin with. You NEED to have some basic facts in your head to proceed
any further, whatever field you may be in.
DT>  struggles.  I wonder if some people just don't have a better aptitude
DT>  toward spelling and others (like me) are doomed to have a spell check
DT>  handy at all times.
Dunno.
Sheila
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