Spelling by Typing

When do you introduce touch typing into the student's daily work? My experience is that the best time is 3rd grade.  How do you find time to introduce this into the student's daily work?  Remove spelling instruction and put typing there instead.


First of all, typing instruction requires repeating words over and over again. The instruction starts with nonsense strings of letters and moves to words, the most common words that you use. The multi-sensory work is good for the brain. (Scrabble- multi-sensory, also. Spelling out loud while doing Hangman or Wheel of Fortune- multisensory. Uses different parts of the brain. This only serves to reinforce and make more synaptic connections. This brings about spelling skills naturally.)

Then I have the kids do most or all their schoolwork on Word/Pages/Wordpad. As long as it has a spell check that gives the red underline on misspelled words immediately. The immediate feedback is worth so much in forming new habits. The parent/teacher cannot stand over his shoulder while he's writing with a pencil and correct every word as he misspells it. Plus, it's frustrating to have to use a rubber eraser. It's much easier to backspace. It's also less discouraging to have right-click offer you suggestions for your misspelled words.

Spelling has reached a new era.

300 years ago spelling wasn't even standardized- look at historical documents. Spelling is all over the place. One of the most intelligent men in our nation's history was Meriweather Lewis, and he couldn't spell a word the same way twice. Between his spelling and handwriting, I'm amazed his notes were ever transcribed. One reason we have so many similar but differently-spelled surnames was the process of writing down names at Ellis Island. Why do you suppose there are Baumgartners, Bumgartners, Bumgardners? My maiden name was spelled differently at Ellis than it was in the homeland.

Over 200 years, with public schools coming into existence, and the dictionary being published, standardized spelling came into existence and became something to be drilled-and-killed. This may have been useful, although since most of the increase in our knowledge came despite poor spelling in the most intelligent people. Remember Einstein? He said it's a waste of your brain to memorize anything that can be looked up. Or caught by a proofreader, I'd add.

It's 2010. Drill and kill etc ad nauseum for spelling is just ARCHAIC. Teach the child to type-- Typing Instructor For Kids Platinum (Windows/Mac)
is the program that I used and it worked well. Give the child a word processing program and teach him to use it. These are skills that are more relevant than spelling anyway.

And funny enough, spelling happens through these multi-disciplinary and multi-sensory routes. You just can't help but become a better speller when you are writing so much. Poor spellers are usually hesitant writers- and writing is, in my opinion, the only way to perfecting spelling.