Inventive Spelling

Our short class discussion on invented spelling this past Wednesday sparked my interest in the topic and led me to explore the pros and the cons of allowing and even encouraging students to use this strategy. Inventive spelling is defined as “young children’s attempt to use their best judgments about spelling” (Hoffman 2006). A child’s spelling is evidence of his or her comprehension of the English language. According to our text, the words children “spell correctly show which phonics concepts, spelling patterns, and other language features they’ve learned to apply, and the words they invent and misspell show what they’re still learning to use and those features of spelling that they haven’t noticed or learned about” (Tompkins, 171). At first glance, I was critical of the idea of using invented spelling for fear that my future students would learn poor spelling habits. However, Tomkins states “researchers have confirmed that students grow more quickly in phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling when they use invented spelling as long as they are also receiving spelling instruction ” (Tompkins, 171). Tompkins claims that students’ invented spelling will become more sophisticated and serve as a reflection of the knowledge they have acquired (even if the words are still spelled incorrectly). Students’ spelling accuracy will increase as they move through the various stages of spelling.

In the article, Pros and Cons of Invented or Inventive Spelling in the Elementary Classroom, Melissa Holman states that the majority of elementary school educators believe “invented/inventive spelling is the best way to give students ownership over their own literacy at as early an age as possible” (Hoffman 2006). Many researchers believe inventive spelling strategies encourage beginning readers and writers to get their thoughts on paper and to write in any way they want without having to focus on spelling words correctly. Many researchers believe that teacher generated word walls, lists, and workbooks can actually do more harm than good. “Many inventive spelling proponents believe that, in order to become good spellers, children need to learn to take responsibility for their own spelling; they need to learn how to proofread their own work and they need to realize when it is important to do so” (Hoffman 2006). Inventive spelling supporters feel that teachers marking wrong words are getting in the way of children becoming good editors and spellers.

Despite the recent support for inventive spelling, there are many who feel that “professional development for reading teachers must be limited to traditional phonics methods” (Hoffman 2006). Some researches claim that much scientific evidence shows that “children learn to spell correctly faster if they are taught in a direct, methodical way, and that there is a direct correlation between children’s ability to spell correctly and the quality of their work” (Hoffman 2006). Others feel that traditional forms of spelling instruction do not stifle students, but lay a strong foundation for future academic success. While I am not in a classroom, it is my personal opinion that there needs to be a balance in the curriculum. In kindergarten-first grade, children should be allowed to use invented spelling, but the teachers should encourage their students to correctly spell by the beginning of second grade. Thus children should reach a level of reading and writing fluency by the end of third grade.

References:

Hoffman, Melissa. (2006). Pros and Cons of Invented or Inventive Spelling in the Elementary Classroom. www.associatedcontent.com/article/25457/pros_and_cons_of_invented_or_inventive_pg6.html?cat+4

Tompkins, Gail E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach.