Spelling? No problem here, says principal

A local principal has rejected research that has found spelling to be a problem subject in primary schools.

The University of Canterbury research found New Zealand teachers had difficulty finding time to teach spelling in a tightly packed day and their initial training did not give them the adequate skills to teach the subject proficiently.

However, Whangarei Heads Primary principal and head of the Whangarei Principals' Association Lil Ruffell said spelling formed an essential part of the curriculum and Whangarei schools did not have a problem with spelling.

"It's definitely an essential part of our curriculum, so I can't back up that claim." The teachers also received ample time to teach the subject, she said.

University senior education lecturer Brigid McNeill, who compiled the research, said teachers typically used a memory-based strategy - spelling tests with pre-taught words - rather than concentrating on developing skills which would help children spell all words correctly.

Dr McNeill surveyed 405 primary school teachers from a variety of regions and schools of varying socio-economic status on their spelling instruction and assessment practices.

Teachers struggled to find time to teach spelling within the curriculum and lacked professional knowledge about English language structure. "Many teachers also reported that their initial teacher education programmes did not provide them with adequate training in this area."

Dr McNeill said teachers needed to work on providing explicit instruction in spelling.

Working on language structure awareness helped vocabulary development and reading skills, she said.

New Zealand children were struggling more with writing than reading - with 32 per cent performing below national standards.

Although spelling was only one component of writing development, accurate and fluent spellers had more cognitive resources to focus on higher-order aspects of writing, Dr McNeill said.