Today I worked on-on-one with a higher level student with a history of poor spelling. This can be extremely frustrating for everyone involved, especially if the student sincerely wants to learn, but there seems to some obstacle. Generally I find that it comes down to a lack of good, old-fashioned basics. That doesn't mean they weren't taught when the student was younger, but something happened. I usually find these students never learned short/long/schwa vowel sounds or the concept of open/closed syllables. It's amazing, when these concepts are explained and applied, how quickly most students improve. I usually see about an 80-90% improvement rate. No, these students may never win a spelling bee, but it's a real confidence booster for them to receive a B or higher on a spelling test. I typically spend forty to sixty minutes, split into two sessions, working with an individual. That's usually all it takes, and the results, for such a small investment of time, are very rewarding for both student and teacher.
GW
