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Original poster

How much spell check is too much?

109 replies

Emila · 22/10/2024 16:49

I'm a TA in a primary school. I work in years 3-6, depending on where I'm needed.
When I was at school, teachers would correct spelling mistakes in your English work. The word would be underlined and it would then be written out correctly by the teacher in the back of your book for you to copy three times

However, when I was marking today, the class teacher told me to only correct 2-3 spellings per page and leave the rest. Obviously for the lower ability children this makes sense as we're more interested in having them actually form sentences and spell phonetically. However I was marking the book of one of the highest ability students in the class. They had about 6 spelling mistakes that really should have been picked up on.

I wonder what message this sends to students if they write a word and it isn't corrected, surely they'd think they've spelt it correctly?
What is the reasoning behind limiting the spelling corrections?

OP posts:
purplebeansprouts · 22/10/2024 21:34

If you're the teacher's assistant I'd just do what they ask. They're the ones who have done all the training and been appointed teacher of the class. If you don't trust/like their strategy find another teacher to assist

user1474315215 · 22/10/2024 21:32

Your school will have a marking policy. Follow it.

tulippa · 22/10/2024 21:27

Copying out words does not teach you how to spell. As PPs have said too many corrections are demoralising and destroy creativity. It also depends if they are words you would expect that child to know at that key stage/year.

DoublePeonies · 22/10/2024 21:21

It is absolutely sole destroying to have sonething you have worked really hard on ripped to shreds by a teacher, not because the content is poor but because you have dyslexia (or any other learning divergance) that makes the spelling hard.
Spelling tests are the chance to destroy confidence. Please mark the content the rest of the time (with some corrections).

Yes, it still hurts 30 years on. Thank fcuk for computer spell checks.

FourEyesGood · 22/10/2024 21:11

Our English department policy is three spelling corrections per page (with the three spellings being written out correctly x3 by the student). More is demoralising - it’s not lazy teaching!

User79853257976 · 22/10/2024 21:03

I’m an English teacher and I do it on a case by case basis. If it’s a student who really struggles and would get upset I do around 3.

EgyptionJackal · 22/10/2024 21:02

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Justsayit123 · 22/10/2024 16:53

Jeez, correct every spelling error otherwise what’s the point. Lazy teaching.

Boomer55 · 22/10/2024 16:50

I would always want a teacher to correct bad spelling, grammar,or punctuation. It does still matter.