HN: Were spelling tests worthwhile?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=891010

by RevRal • 17 years ago

3 8 17 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I was helping my nephew with his weekly spelling test, and I began to reminisce my years of spelling tests. Not only were they stressful, but I would proceed to forget how to spell the words within a week.

These days, are spelling tests at all important?

sp332• 17 years ago

What other incentive would teachers have to teach kids to spell?

nedwin• 17 years ago

Definitely important - not just for teaching kids how to spell (which is still important, despite word processors and spell checkers) but also extending their vocabulary.

RevRal4• 17 years ago

...also extending their vocabulary.

My brain completely skipped that when I started thinking about this.

raffi• 17 years ago

I'd say yes, they are. Learning a language is tough and there are many wacky rules and exceptions to learn. Many things (irregular verbs and their different forms) can only be learned through memorization.

The current methods for detecting and correcting errors are not perfect and still require the author to have good command of the language they're writing in.

I write spell checkers for a living.

RevRal4• 17 years ago

I'm still new here, so thank you for taking the time to respond.

RevRal4• 17 years ago

We have spell checkers in everything now. Even my instant messenger has one. I asked someone this question and their response was "what if there is no electricity." I don't see how that's valid unless there is an immanent Malthusian catastrophe.

This seems to be a case of "if it doesn't work, do it harder." I don't see the point in being a hardass about it. What percent of people actually care their spelling? And the people who care if their writing is taken seriously will always put effort into correct spelling.

The time I spent memorizing spelling words could have been better spent learning why they're spelt the way they are.

evgen• 17 years ago

> What percent of people actually care their spelling?

Perhaps the same percentage that care their grammar and proofreading?

> The time I spent memorizing spelling words could have been better spent learning why they're spelt the way they are.

Knowing proper spelling is important if only to assist in word and term recognition when reading. What is far more useful is knowing _why_ words are spelled in a particular fashion and to know the history of the word and its roots. Not only does etymology help you know how to spell a word, it assists in selecting to proper word or term to get your point across in the most efficient and least ambiguous manner possible.

RevRal4• 17 years ago

> Perhaps the same percentage that care their grammar and proofreading?

I have an excuse though. This is my fourth day on the colemak keyboard layout, so every word I type is extremely painful. That particular error came from shortening the sentence from "What percent of people actually care about how they come across?" I accidentally edited out the about. Anything that has to do with typing right now is frustrating.

> Knowing proper spelling is important if only to assist in word and term recognition when reading. What is far more useful is knowing _why_ words are spelled in a particular fashion and to know the history of the word and its roots. Not only does etymology help you know how to spell a word, it assists in selecting to proper word or term to get your point across in the most efficient and least ambiguous manner possible.

Yes. You said it better than I did.

HN: Were spelling tests worthwhile?

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