“Can you spell that for me?” It’s such a simple request. Spelling is a crucial part of education—but what is it, exactly? Join host Mike Farris and his guest today on Home School Heartbeat to find out.
Mike Farris:
My guest this week is Andrew Pudewa, who is the director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and he’s a homeschool father of seven. Andrew, welcome to the program!
Andrew Pudewa:
Thanks, Mike! It’s great to be with you.
Mike:
Andrew, many homeschooling parents are teaching children who struggle with spelling. We often hear those parents make comments like, “My child just doesn’t even have a gene for spelling.” Is spelling just a matter of natural aptitude, like having above-average hand-eye coordination?
Andrew:
Well, I do think that there is natural aptitude, and some children do learn spelling better or more easily than others, but I also believe that the ability can be developed in anyone. However, it is important to adjust the teaching and practice methods to the natural aptitude, or if you will, the neurology of the child. Some children learn very well by seeing spelling words, but not all. In fact possibly the majority of children need alternative way of storing that spelling information and then of course we know that some children need more repetition on basic facts like spelling and multiplication than others. And so the repetition and the input method need to vary.
Mike:
Andrew, thanks so much for getting us started on this important topic. We’ll talk more about teaching spelling on the next program. I’m Mike Farris.
