What Happens When a Teacher Uses Metalanguage to Teach Spelling?

Daffern, Tessa

doi:10.1002/trtr.1528

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…Explicit teaching of words at a metalinguistic level is an important component of instruction (Westwood, ), yet it appeared to be absent in the pedagogical approaches adopted by the eight teachers in this study, thus potentially making it challenging for the students to learn English spelling. Furthermore, if teachers are able to identify the underlying causes of spelling difficulties by undertaking systematic spelling error analyses, and if they know how to teach spelling strategies beyond ‘sounding out', students may then be afforded opportunities to learn to apply a broader repertoire of strategies (Daffern, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Helping students to become proficient spellers is a challenging pedagogical endeavour; one that requires understanding of the metalanguage used to talk about spelling (Daffern, ). Nonetheless, findings from several studies suggest that many teachers across English speaking countries do not feel adequately prepared and confident to teach spelling (Adoniou, ; Dockrell et al, ; Fresch, ; Herrington & Macken‐Horarik, ; Johnston, ; McNeill & Kirk, ).…”

Section: The Important Role Of Spelling In Writingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite an enduring dominance of rote learning practices, research demonstrates the importance of teaching students, from the early years of learning to write, how to coordinate a range of linguistic strategies when spelling (Devonshire et al, ; Herrington & Macken‐Horarik, ; Treiman, ), and for teachers to use appropriate metalanguage during spelling instruction (Daffern, ). The provision of regular and increasing amounts of explicit instruction, as opposed to unrelated or incidental instruction, is also known to have a positive impact on spelling performance outcomes (Graham & Santangelo, ).…”

Section: The Important Role Of Spelling In Writingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A case study on the challenges of learning and teaching English spelling: insights from eight Australian students and their teachers

Daffern

Mackenzie

2019

Literacy

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Spelling is a key transcription skill for writing. While little is understood about the particular challenges some students experience when learning to spell, explicit instruction is known to improve spelling performance. The study reported in this article draws on eight case studies from a larger Australian mixed‐methods study examining spelling acquisition, as represented by a stratified random sample of Australian students aged 8 to 12 years (n=1,198). This case study utilised Triple Word Form Theory for the spelling error analysis of dictated words, narrative and expository writing, as well as semi‐structured interview data from a randomly selected sample of low‐achieving spellers. Analyses of phonological, orthographic and morphological spelling errors revealed students' common and unique challenges in learning to spell. Qualitative analysis of semi‐structured interview data identified that the students lacked confidence in spelling, used limited strategies for spelling unknown words, and displayed constrained metalanguage associated with spelling. Interview data from the respective classroom teachers revealed that the teachers had inadequate strategies for teaching spelling and lacked confidence in their ability to teach spelling. The findings highlight the need for improved ways to support those students beyond the first few years of schooling who find learning to spell challenging.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Important Role Of Spelling In Writingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Important Role Of Spelling In Writingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A case study on the challenges of learning and teaching English spelling: insights from eight Australian students and their teachers

Daffern

Mackenzie

2019

Literacy

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“…Learning to spell in meaningful contexts through writing about literary texts is crucial for orthographic learning (Daffern, ). Teachers routinely used connections to spelling as coaching strategies during authentic reading and writing tasks.…”

Section: The Seven Nonnegotiables Of Word Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Reenvisioning Spelling Instruction: Developmental Word Study Nonnegotiables

Vines¹,

Jordan²,

Broemmel³

2020

The Reading Teacher

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“…Without adequate knowledge about language structure, teachers will not have the metalanguage needed to help them talk and think about language, or explain it clearly to children. Daffern (2017) has explored how teacher use of metalanguage in their teaching appears to help children talk and think about their spelling strategies. Without metalanguage, metacognition is compromised.…”

Section: What Do Teachers Need To Know and Do To Be Effective Teachermentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Career Teachers’ Knowledge and Practice in Spelling Instruction: Insights for Teacher Educators

Oakley

2018

AJTE

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Children who cannot spell fluently are likely to encounter difficulty in writing texts across the curriculum. Furthermore, spelling is often a component in high stakes tests, the results of which have significant implications for students and schools. In the context of debates on teacher quality, it is pertinent to examine the views of early career teachers on their preparedness to teach spelling. This article reports on a small scale study on the views, knowledge and practices of early career teachers in relation to the teaching of spelling, and their views on their pre-service teacher preparation. Participants were early career teachers in Western Australia and data were collected through a questionnaire. This article adds to evidence indicating that many teachers feel inadequately prepared to teach spelling, particularly differentiated spelling instruction. The study is significant in that it focuses on early career teachers' preparedness to teach spelling, an area not previously thoroughly investigated.

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What Happens When a Teacher Uses Metalanguage to Teach Spelling?

Abstract: Using metalanguage to teach spelling involves explicit instruction in the linguistic processes that underpin the written language. This article illustrates how metalanguage can empower students' autonomy in spelling.

Cited by 14 publications

References 25 publications

A case study on the challenges of learning and teaching English spelling: insights from eight Australian students and their teachers

A case study on the challenges of learning and teaching English spelling: insights from eight Australian students and their teachers

Reenvisioning Spelling Instruction: Developmental Word Study Nonnegotiables

Early Career Teachers’ Knowledge and Practice in Spelling Instruction: Insights for Teacher Educators

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