Learning in the Absence of Education
Essays on Homeschooling
© Beverley Paine
Index
Homeschool
Australia
Thoughts on Spelling
(continued)
At the age of four Thomas wrote strings of capital letters, mostly repeating the letters A, I, N, E (from our surname) and using lots of circles and lines. By five he was able to write words, having learned how to write all of the letters of the alphabet. These words were always spelled out to him. Back then he had no way of reading what he had written, except for the words that had most meaning to him - dad, mum, love. This continued until about age nine, although his word list had grown to around two dozen words. Progress from there was slow. At twelve Thomas can sit at the computer and type a short story, use the spell checker with some accuracy, and need only minimum help. The sentences are simple and reflect what he can read by himself. He still asks for help to spell words, and tends to choose words he knows he can attempt to spell.
Roger was a different story, reflecting that all learners are individuals, and you can't expect them to learn from one method alone. At five he was introduced to the idea that sounds make up words, and that letters and combinations of letters make up sounds. This was to be the basis of his learning to read, write and spell. A year or two later and Roger was clearly confused with his spelling, and then went on his merry way, pulling together whatever strategies he had accumulated to help him spell a word. He wouldn't spell the same word the same way twice - each time the word would be met as though he was seeing it for the first time. This progressed until he was around nine years of age, and even now, at sixteen I see evidence of his brain trying out different approaches. I now know that the more Roger reads the more able he is to spell correctly - naturally working out and following the convention.
I think spelling is clearly a function of writing - and I also think that good readers generally make for good spellers. But this isn't always the case. One young school friend, who read a lot of fiction in her spare time, and generally did well at school, was a hopeless speller until her mother gave her some intensive instruction on spelling strategies over a two month period before she entered high school. Before that age spelling lessons seemed to be so much wasted time. I see that kind of effect in Roger and his writing/spelling ability. For these writers I feel that age and maturity, rather than exposure to print and a eductionist approach to spelling, is of more benefit in the long term. At least in Roger's case, being homeschooled, he was able to develop his spelling skills without being labeled as a 'poor speller', and his self confidence in his style and approach to spelling encouraged rather than diminished his self esteem.
The main thing to remember is that all learners are individuals. I have three very different children, who learned to read, spell and write in their own individual ways. I tried the same approach with each of them in turn, and as time passed, many other approaches. I could be blamed for being inconsistent, choosing as I did from the smorgasbord of approaches, and maybe giving up too easily on some of them. However, as I said before, time seems to be an excellent approach in itself. My children really do learn better, faster and easier as they get older, which flies in the face of the 'best to learn early' myth.
A lot of people become hung up on the 'correct' spelling merry-go-round, believing that invented spellings are dangerous and an indication of laziness. Invented spelling has been shown time and again to be a stage that is passed through. With guidance and support all children will progress to using conventional spellings.
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Excerpt from Learning in the Absence of Home Education: Essays on Homeschooling
© Beverley Paine, 1999
