SHEILA KING spoke of Spelling by routman to DAN TRIPLETT on 11-02-96
SK>DT>  The activity you describe is a home activity.  This is not a
SK>DT>  waste of time for several reasons.  For one, some children do
SK>DT>  preform well with spelling lists and are supported with their
SK>DT>  studying at home.  But, you can probably imagine how few parents
SK>DT>  actually take the time to work with their children at home on
SK>DT>  these lists. 
SK>So, because not all the parents (probably a significant portion) are
SK>not supporting the spelling program at home, we should discontinue it
SK>for all? How about educating the parents who are not yet reinforcing
SK>the spelling at home, so that they will begin to do so?
I'm not convinced that sending home study lists is necessary or even 
recommended.  For a speller who is having difficulty, it may be a good 
thing.  I'm not completely solid on a position regarding spelling 
programs yet.  I do send home a Read-Aloud sheet that parent and child 
fill out with the names of the books they read together for that month.  
Not all participate in this program yet I do it for those that see the 
value in it.  I do encourage all the parents to read to their children 
at home but you can lead a horse to water......
SK>DT>  Another good reason for this home activity is that it gets the
SK>DT>  child and the parents doing something productive together.  Time
SK>DT>  spent with your children is not a waste of time, it is an
SK>DT>  investment.  I would guess that you invest yourself in other
SK>DT>  important way in the lives of your children too.  What I was
SK>DT>  referring to as a "waste of time" is the practice of providing a
SK>DT>  list on Monday and then giving a pretest.  Some stuff in between
SK>DT>  (usually minimal) and then the post test on Friday. For some
SK>DT>  teachers, this is the essence of their spelling program.  Alone
SK>DT>  this is a waste of time.  For me, it's the stuff in between that
SK>DT>  Perhaps I could describe a program in more detail and then it
SK>DT>  would be easier to understand.  I think the program I would
SK>DT>  describe would probably contain many instructional strategies
SK>DT>  that you would favor. 
SK>Go ahead, if you like. I tend to favor testing at some point, with
SK>children who are old enough, since most people work best with some
SK>sort of deadline in mind. I know that my high school students
SK>accomplish little when there isn't an announced quiz or test within
SK>the next few days, as compared to what they can accomplish when a
SK>quiz or test looms.  
First of all remember we are talking about 6,7,and 8 year old children.  
I don't think the stress of an impending test is a motivator.  Still, I 
have been asking around about how other teachers approach spelling and I 
have some new material I'd like to share.  As for the testing, it does 
seem that there are some (in early childhood education) who still favor 
testing (as a way of measuring) and are holding workshops on "best 
practices."  I'll run some ideas by you and see what your reaction to 
them is.  
Sk>Dt>The answer was that most could not get all the
SK>DT>  facts memorized and those that did memorize most of them lost it
SK>DT>  over the summer.  Even as they were entering 5th grade many had
SK>DT>  not mastered their facts.  I always loved math as a kid and I
SK>DT>  mastered my basic math facts very early (3rd grade??).  I was a
SK>DT>  sort of a whiz kid in elementary. 
SK>These teachers must not be using good teaching strategies, or else
SK>the kids are getting zero support from home. There is, as far as I
SK>know (keep in mind, elementary ed is not my field) a SMALL group of
SK>kids who cannot memorize their math facts. They are usually LD
SK>identifiable. But most of the kids should be able to learn them.
This is my understand also.  
SK>DT>  Advanced algebra took the wind out of my
SK>DT>  sails and trigonometry sunk my ship.
SK> 
SK>I am surprised at this remark, above, since you recently said that
SK>a you had fairly strong math background and went back to school
SK>a intending to be high school math teacher?
Well, I did in high school.  I went back to college at age 34....many 
years after whizzing through most my math classes.  While I worked at 
AT&T I took about 2 years of Electronics and a part of it was trig.  I 
never had trig before so I got someone to help me and made it through.  
That was in my late 20's.  Then nothing materialized with AT&T, I got 
laid off due to restructuring and so I decided to go to college and get 
my teaching degree.  I had 13 college credits to my name.  I decided to 
become a math teacher.  But with two kids and all the responsibilities 
that go with raising a family I decided to change my major because I 
found I was starting all over again.  Math was no longer an easy subject 
(could it have been the professor?).  I did manage to pull a B+ in one 
class and A in the other but I had to spend so much time at it.  So I 
changed to elementary where the math was easier (grin).  Now when I see 
my kids do their advanced algebra and geometry and trig and other weird 
stuff I turn green.  Maybe if you don't use it you lose it?  
SK>While fact-memorizing has received much criticism in recent years, as
SK>Leona has pointed out before, you can't learn anything if you don't
SK>know anything to begin with. You NEED to have some basic facts in
SK>your head to proceed any further, whatever field you may be in.
Some basic facts....I can agree with that...
SK>DT>  struggles.  I wonder if some people just don't have a better
SK>DT>  aptitude toward spelling and others (like me) are doomed to have
SK>DT>  a spell check handy at all times.
SK> 
SK>Dunno.
SK> 
SK>Sheila
OK...fess up....you use a spell-checker right?
Dan
--- GEcho 1.11+
---------------