Wallpaper Literacy

Don H · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 187

Not all reform is progress, and this seems especially true of education,
where any new idea can be seized upon as an advance.
Hence, we have "a more progressive strategy that encourages teachers to
teach spelling in context" - according to yesterday's "Australian"
("Singapore kids spell better than Aussies"). Sticking words on walls in
the "wallpaper" method is part of the osmosis way of learning spelling,
rather that teaching the alphabet and word analysis/synthesis.
Fortunately, we have an opposite trend, the popularity of "spelling bees",
according to "Education" supplement of "The Age" (24/7) - "Schools abuzz
over spelling bees". Wallpaper is not sufficient under such circumstance,
as words must be analysed, spelling rules known, and historical origin of
words learnt.
English is a phonetic language, where words denote sounds; they are not
pictures of objects, as with Egyptian hieroglyphs, or Chinese ideographs.
English is a cipher, not a code, and it is far simpler to learn
cryptanalysis, cipher keys and construction, than attempt to learn a whole
code book by heart (the "whole word" method).
Apart from simple words, most words in the English language are compound,
with a root/stem and affixes (prefix, suffix).
But then Phonics involves rote learning, and drills! Maybe, to some
extent, but surely less so than doing the same with whole words - and even
less comprehension - as in the Whole Word process.
However, if we want little countries like Singapore to beat us, then we'll
go our own happy way, with wallpaper, guessing, and attempting to swallow
whole words in indigestible chunks.

Archived from group: aus>education

Andy · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 6

"Don H" wrote in message $rP1.948@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
| Not all reform is progress, and this seems especially true of education,
| where any new idea can be seized upon as an advance.
| Hence, we have "a more progressive strategy that encourages teachers to
| teach spelling in context" - according to yesterday's "Australian"
| ("Singapore kids spell better than Aussies"). Sticking words on walls in
| the "wallpaper" method is part of the osmosis way of learning spelling,
| rather that teaching the alphabet and word analysis/synthesis.
| Fortunately, we have an opposite trend, the popularity of "spelling
bees",
| according to "Education" supplement of "The Age" (24/7) - "Schools abuzz
| over spelling bees". Wallpaper is not sufficient under such circumstance,
| as words must be analysed, spelling rules known, and historical origin of
| words learnt.
| English is a phonetic language, where words denote sounds; they are not
| pictures of objects, as with Egyptian hieroglyphs, or Chinese ideographs.
| English is a cipher, not a code, and it is far simpler to learn
| cryptanalysis, cipher keys and construction, than attempt to learn a whole
| code book by heart (the "whole word" method).
| Apart from simple words, most words in the English language are compound,
| with a root/stem and affixes (prefix, suffix).
| But then Phonics involves rote learning, and drills! Maybe, to some
| extent, but surely less so than doing the same with whole words - and even
| less comprehension - as in the Whole Word process.
| However, if we want little countries like Singapore to beat us, then
we'll
| go our own happy way, with wallpaper, guessing, and attempting to swallow
| whole words in indigestible chunks.
|

As a primary teacher (just retired) I went to several spelling in-services
run by Fay Boulton, who was all for the "word walls". Our small country
school implemented her ways of teaching spelling, however I informed the
school principal that I was not prepared to change what was working for my
students with spelling for an unknown. I gave regular standardised tests
which showed improvement to back up my argument. The children were learning
and the parents were happy. With the implementation of the new method there
was no testing done prior to its introduction and then follow up testing to
check for improvements in the students' spelling. "It is new, so it must be
better" was the line of thought, as usual.

I recall, when I was a young teacher, having my Grade 4 class chant their
tables. The principal happened to walk past one morning as they were
chanting and, at recess, called me into his office to tell me that rote
learning was educationally unsound, and that I was 20 years behind the
times. I looked him in the eye and said, "No I''m not, I'm 20 years ahead of
everybody else" and walked out of his office.

My students chanted tables and were given weekly spelling lists to learn to
the last day my teaching career.

Andy

----------------------------------------------------------------
People say my best characteristics are my humility and modesty.

Don H · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 187

"Andy" wrote in message$14je$1@otis.netspace.net.au...
>
> "Don H" wrote in message
> $rP1.948@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> | Not all reform is progress, and this seems especially true of education,
> | where any new idea can be seized upon as an advance.
> | Hence, we have "a more progressive strategy that encourages teachers to
> | teach spelling in context" - according to yesterday's "Australian"
> | ("Singapore kids spell better than Aussies"). Sticking words on walls
in
> | the "wallpaper" method is part of the osmosis way of learning spelling,
> | rather that teaching the alphabet and word analysis/synthesis.
> | Fortunately, we have an opposite trend, the popularity of "spelling
> bees",
> | according to "Education" supplement of "The Age" (24/7) - "Schools abuzz
> | over spelling bees". Wallpaper is not sufficient under such
circumstance,
> | as words must be analysed, spelling rules known, and historical origin
of
> | words learnt.
> | English is a phonetic language, where words denote sounds; they are not
> | pictures of objects, as with Egyptian hieroglyphs, or Chinese
ideographs.
> | English is a cipher, not a code, and it is far simpler to learn
> | cryptanalysis, cipher keys and construction, than attempt to learn a
whole
> | code book by heart (the "whole word" method).
> | Apart from simple words, most words in the English language are
compound,
> | with a root/stem and affixes (prefix, suffix).
> | But then Phonics involves rote learning, and drills! Maybe, to some
> | extent, but surely less so than doing the same with whole words - and
even
> | less comprehension - as in the Whole Word process.
> | However, if we want little countries like Singapore to beat us, then
> we'll
> | go our own happy way, with wallpaper, guessing, and attempting to
swallow
> | whole words in indigestible chunks.
> |
>
> As a primary teacher (just retired) I went to several spelling in-services

> run by Fay Boulton, who was all for the "word walls". Our small country
> school implemented her ways of teaching spelling, however I informed the
> school principal that I was not prepared to change what was working for my
> students with spelling for an unknown. I gave regular standardised tests
> which showed improvement to back up my argument. The children were
learning
> and the parents were happy. With the implementation of the new method
there
> was no testing done prior to its introduction and then follow up testing
to
> check for improvements in the students' spelling. "It is new, so it must
be
> better" was the line of thought, as usual.
>
> I recall, when I was a young teacher, having my Grade 4 class chant their
> tables. The principal happened to walk past one morning as they were
> chanting and, at recess, called me into his office to tell me that rote
> learning was educationally unsound, and that I was 20 years behind the
> times. I looked him in the eye and said, "No I''m not, I'm 20 years ahead
of
> everybody else" and walked out of his office.
>
> My students chanted tables and were given weekly spelling lists to learn
to
> the last day my teaching career.
>
> Andy
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> People say my best characteristics are my humility and modesty.
>
# It is part of the dogma of the Whole Word advocates that only they,
WW-ers, teach spelling (such as it is) in the context of sentences - and
that somehow Phonics needs lots of rote-learning of words in lists. This is
not how I was taught, back in the 1930s, where virtually every child could
read and write by Second Grade at primary school, and dyslexia was unheard
of.
We used the Victorian Readers, as mandated for all State schools, and
learnt to read left-to-right, and to spell each word via Dictation. Each
child was required to Read Aloud from the Reader - as proof of progress.
If you want a modern equivalent to these defunct Readers, then the Fitzroy
Readers are equally good.
It is perhaps time that Readers (standard texts, in graded form) were
re-introduced in all schools - or, at least, a Primer (one initial book).
This would start kids off, from simple-to-complex, and not "throw them in
the deep end" and hope they can swim.
Learning English is not an easy task, but not impossible, so careful
consideration is needed as to how to implement it. Quack panaceas, such as
Whole Word, are more hindrance than help. After producing several
generations of semi-literates, you'd think the folly of pursuing this path
would have sunk in.
How do we learn a foreign language? Do we just jump in and gulp it down
whole? No, we find out what its alphabet consists of, how such letters are
written and sounded, then tackle simple words and phrases, and its grammar.
So, why not same with English?
Of course, in even this case it might help to live in Germany and soak up
the "atmosphere". I have a young relative who learnt German at school here,
and I asked her why she didn't visit the German Club. She said she did
once, but was slightly embarrassed, as she spoke "book German", not the
colloquial version as per the members.
I'm glad I was taught in the 1930s, so that when learning I felt
empowered, not bewildered.
(If schools want to find causes of current truancy, then an examination of
how English is taught might provide one clue.)

Don H · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 187

"Don H" wrote in message$rP1.948@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Not all reform is progress, and this seems especially true of education,
> where any new idea can be seized upon as an advance.
> Hence, we have "a more progressive strategy that encourages teachers to
> teach spelling in context" - according to yesterday's "Australian"
> ("Singapore kids spell better than Aussies"). Sticking words on walls in
> the "wallpaper" method is part of the osmosis way of learning spelling,
> rather that teaching the alphabet and word analysis/synthesis.
> Fortunately, we have an opposite trend, the popularity of "spelling
bees",
> according to "Education" supplement of "The Age" (24/7) - "Schools abuzz
> over spelling bees". Wallpaper is not sufficient under such circumstance,
> as words must be analysed, spelling rules known, and historical origin of
> words learnt.
> English is a phonetic language, where words denote sounds; they are not
> pictures of objects, as with Egyptian hieroglyphs, or Chinese ideographs.
> English is a cipher, not a code, and it is far simpler to learn
> cryptanalysis, cipher keys and construction, than attempt to learn a whole
> code book by heart (the "whole word" method).
> Apart from simple words, most words in the English language are
compound,
> with a root/stem and affixes (prefix, suffix).
> But then Phonics involves rote learning, and drills! Maybe, to some
> extent, but surely less so than doing the same with whole words - and even
> less comprehension - as in the Whole Word process.
> However, if we want little countries like Singapore to beat us, then
we'll
> go our own happy way, with wallpaper, guessing, and attempting to swallow
> whole words in indigestible chunks.
>

# See also, in "The Australian" (1/ Cool

, item entitled:
"Spelling fad cost kids 14pc drop in results"
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au