Spelling & its Impact on Education

#UKEdChat session 600
The ability to spell has a disproportionate impact on people’s lives.
A culture change is needed to support those who find spelling difficult.
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Some obsess about it, while others look beyond it to what is being communicated, but there is no doubt that spelling has a large impact on education, especially at primary school where much of the first few years is devoted to mastering this skill.

Spelling, and the fear of making mistakes holds many people back, From applying for jobs to filling out official paperwork, many people can feel anxious about writing in public where they do not have the ability to check whether what is being written is correct.

However, this doesn’t have to be the case. A shift is culture is needed to accept where people are in their spelling journey, and more support needs to be given to helping improve spelling for everyone, whatever their current level is.

Some imagine that spelling will become obsolete in the future, with voice interfaces becoming the norm, and if Mr Musk can be believed in the far future companies like his Neuralink will make even using voice rather old fashioned.

But for now, spelling is very much part of daily life and something which disproportionally impacts education and life beyond.

In this #UKEdChat session, which took place on Thursday 5th May 2022 at 8pm(UK), we discussed how spelling is currently taught in schools and how this can be improved, how spelling in viewed in different subject areas, what is the future of spelling, and how can technology help.

Questions
1. What is your sense of how spelling is viewed by the teaching profession?
2. What is the culture of spelling in your school?
3. What are some of the main ways you promote good spelling in your classroom?
4. Does good spelling matter and when doesn’t it matter in your classroom?
5. How could you improve the promotion of good spelling in your classroom?
6. How can technology help promote good spelling?
7. What are some of your favourite spelling resources?
8. What is the future of spelling? As technology advances, will it matter in the future?