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Spelling is a difficult subject, and most people will struggle with it at some point in their life. Getting help with spelling may be difficult for adults. Spelling help may also be needed by children who have teachers that use ineffective strategies to teach spelling.

Memorizing the way a word is spelled for a test does not help anyone improve their overall language skills. Reading, writing, and spelling are all closely related subjects. By treating spelling as a separate and unrelated subject, teachers fail to teach all three subjects effectively.

Parents should be watchful for spelling difficulty early in their child's school career. Children that have language skill problems early in school tend to keep having problems into adulthood.

To develop a real working knowledge of the English language, children need to be taught phonics. This subject teaches children what sounds the letters make, and how different combinations of letters make different sounds. This subject if frequently neglected in the classroom.

While some children learn to read and spell adequately without specific instruction in phonics, many do not. Teachers often only instruct a child in phonics after the child has struggled with reading for several months or years. Instead of being taught phonics, children who have trouble with spelling are often labeled “poor spellers” or assigned to write their spelling words many times.

Phonics is the foundation for both reading and writing. As a child learns about the parts that make up a word, he or she develops word recognition skills. The child can apply this knowledge to reading and spelling other similar words, even if he or he has never seen or spelled that word before.

The child will develop a familiarity with words that will allow them to recognize misspelled words in their own and others' written work. A child with phonics skills may not spell each word correctly when they write, but they will often be able to correct and revise their own work. This leads to greater confidence in writing. Children with phonics skills can read and write at a higher level than children that have not been specifically taught those skills.

Adults may also have trouble getting help with spelling. Literacy centers and adult education resources often have phonics courses or workbooks that can help fill in the gaps in phonics knowledge. Although it may take time and effort on the part of the adult, developing phonics skills is a worthwhile personal investment.

REFERENCES

Chase-Lockwood, R, Masino, M, 2002, Improving Student Spelling Skills through the Use of Effective Teaching Strategies. Master of Arts Action Research Project, Saint Xavier University.

Hauerwas, L, Walker, J, 2004, What Can Children's Spelling of Running and Jumped Tell Us About Their Need for Spelling Instruction? The Reading Teacher, vol 58(2), pp 168–176.