The Importance of Spelling for Children in The Digital World

Literacy is one of the two important pillars of education in the National Curriculum in the UK. It plays a significant role in the learning and development of children in their formative years. Reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation are the core areas of assessment for English in the current education system. It is generally accepted that reading and writing are essential skills to possess – parents worry over their child’s ability to use these skills. However, I often encountered questions on the importance of assessing a child’s spelling skills, after all, we live in a digital age where everything is typed and autocorrection is an easy feature one can use.

The company I worked for was an ed-tech tuition provider. We used computer-based programmes to teach Maths and English tailored to a child’s ability. I often found that children were able to identify spelling mistakes and correct them on the portal through a spellchecker, especially in the early developmental stages of the systems we used. So, I could see why some parents and children resented and questioned the spelling assessments in school. I decided to educate myself and support these families further in understanding the need for learning spellings.

So why is spelling so important for children in this digital age?

Communication

Social skills i.e., written and verbal communication is vital in our personal and professional lives. Today we have texts, emails, captions, comments, live-streams, phone calls and so many more ways to communicate and socialise. From the list above we can see that written communication has become prominent over the years. Learning to spell correctly enables us to process and retain information which can be relayed easily. The earlier we start learning to spell, the better we are at understanding and transmitting information.

Speaking of transmitting information, an area in English many children find challenging these days is comprehension. Reading and phonics rely on the ability to identify written words and the meaning behind them. Learning to spell can impact this as the child can recognise the way words are written and the sounds they will make. By building vocabulary one can decode the context of the text that is being read especially when encountering homonyms and homophones – they can identify the intended meaning used in the comprehension.

Phonics and articulation

Articulation is the clarity of speech and sound. A young child needs to say the word correctly in order to spell it.

Alphabets are segregated based on the sounds they make. When they make an open mouth sound, we call them vowels. Children find it easier to recognise and pronounce these words whether they hear them or read them.

To recognise consonants on the other hand, young children need to concentrate more on the distinct sound it makes. It is trickier to read and pronounce words with many consonant sounds in them for young children. I found a very good example explaining this on an Australian Speech and Occupational Therapy professional website called Kid Sense Child Development: A young child who is prone to mis-hearing words especially the consonant sounds might say and write ‘wing’ instead of ‘ring’ if they often use ‘w’ sound for ‘r’.

Phonics can help a child learn the various sounds in English language. Learning to spell can help a child understand the link between phonemes (individual sounds such as c-a-t to make cat) and graphemes (sh-ou-t to make shout) which then supports their reading.

We instinctively try writing words based on the sound they make because we are introduced to the concept of reading through listening. However, this does not always have the right result. English language with its vast history has many words with a different spelling pattern. This can sometimes be confusing for young children and lead to misunderstanding. The knowledge of spellings can help reduce the confusion and misunderstanding of words and their meanings.

Soft Skills

Soft skills or transferable skills are gained throughout our academic life and later through our work experience. These are skills which function in various settings.

Many soft skills such as planning, organising and at times even minute taking can be present in a school group project or on a job requirement. Creating to-do lists or preparing notes for self or for a team means the words should be correctly spelt to avoid miscommunication.

First Impression and opportunities

Spellings play a big role in how we are perceived! Whether someone is writing a professional email, a resume, entering a writing competition, a personal statement or simply a text message on a dating site, spelling remains an important factor in creating the first impression.

Many professionals have stated that writing a CV or cover letter with wrong spellings could easily spoil someone’s chances at landing an interview. An email filled with spelling errors to thank the interviewee can ruin the chance of getting the job.

As the development of spelling skill is foundational in the education system, it lends to showing a suitable educational background of a person. Parents can ensure a successful professional and academic life of their children by focusing on establishing strong and well-rounded spelling skills.

Attention to Detail

With built-in autocorrect technology on our phones and most interfaces we use, spelling can seem like a less important skill to have. However, the spell checker is not entirely reliable. It requires a person to use the correct pattern of letters to predict the word that needs to be spelt and this requires a person to know how to spell.

A spell checker may not pick up on the mistake being made if the word is spelt rite, for example. Or it may try to overcorrect a word that is being typed such as ‘of’ to ‘if’ or ‘in’ to ‘I’m’ and so on.

Spelling skill is essential even when using the latest AI technology as it needs correctly spelt words to interpret the language being used and give the most efficient results. Incorrect spelling and errors can lead to wrong results for the search. It’s best to double-check what has been typed to avoid this. Whilst many pupils and professionals have found ways to use AI to write their essays and emails, technology is also advancing just as quickly to spot the use of such tools.