100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Spelling it out: Jane Stephens gets her text fingers working on why good literacy skills matter

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

Retrospective approval sought for depot beside motorway

An application to convert a rural block into a transport depot is now open for public notification, with the retrospective plans lodged in response More

Industrial site sells for $3.4m in off-market deal

A freestanding industrial facility has fetched $3.4 million in an off-market transaction, highlighting the ongoing strength of the Sunshine Coast market. The sale of the More

$250k makeover for supported living home

Five housemates have moved back into their supported independent living house after a five-month, $250,000 renovation to refresh and modernise their ‘family’ home. Buderim housemates More

Ashley Robinson: Big losses to our community

I probably didn’t realise how the new-age digital world would impact simple but important things that we normally take for granted. What I am on More

Photo of the day: stunning sunrise

Sunrise at Cotton Tree, as photographed by Julianne Hutley. If you have a photo of the day offering, email photo@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. Photos must be horizontal/landscape and More

Deadly snake found far from home sparks investigation

A highly venomous snake has been found far from its usual range, sparking a rare job for snake handlers and an investigation by authorities. A More

The young cn txt @ the speed of lite, fingrs flying, n still b undrstd.

So why does spelling even matter anymore?

The recently-released NAPLAN results, the first for two years, show school kids’ literacy skills have not diminished through the pandemic – but they have not improved either.

Kids’ spelling, grammar and reading skills fell in the toilet a generation ago and are still circling the drain.

The NAPLAN data shows one in every 16 students starts high school without meeting the basic reading standards and one in 10 fails to meet a basic literacy level, which is the same as more than a decade ago.

Queensland kids lag at the back of the bad bunch.

But does it even matter? Are we clinging to a golden time of literacy and a stuffy, passé communication skill?

Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor with your name and suburb at Sunshine Coast News via: news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au

This is the age when kids ROFL and LOL at those sticklers for the old-school ways. We have Siri, Alexa and Google on hand to type for us anyway. Auto-correct can fix (and generate) errors. And people kinda, sorta know what we mean when we have a stab at spelling anyway, so why fuss about it?

Standards are sliding, even at the highest echelons of learning.

It was reported earlier this year that the University of Hull in the UK had adjusted its sails, believing requiring good written and spoken English could be seen as “elite”. The uni’s position was that it should remove “barriers to learning” for students of all backgrounds and it was concerned that marking students down for poor spelling, grammar and punctuation in exams could be seen as “homogenous, North European, white and male”.

Good grief.

Jane Stephens columnist sunshine coast news
Columnist Jane Stephens.

I think people should be able to txt n take short cuts 2 there harts content. Defs tweet n abbrev on Insta n in TikTok captions. Props 4 all that.

But there are times when spelling does matter, and young people need to be skilled enough to participate in that world when required.

Spelling matters when they are applying for a job or performing a duty in a professional capacity. It matters when they are filling in official forms or answering a formal email.

It matters because having the same rules and standards means what is written can be understood across generations. Far from being elite, correct spelling and treatment of our language demonstrates equity for all.

It matters because it shows care has been taken by the writer and respect has been given to the reader.

Most people will agree that poor spelling is unprofessional and shows a lack of care.

Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our free daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email. See SUBSCRIBE at the top of this article. 

But spelling is rarely tested in a way that can be isolated and tracked, and what is taught is increasingly what is explicitly tested. A so-called step-child of the curriculum, when the rote-learnt spelling lists went into the bin, so did respect for the stimulation and problem-solving skills that endeavouring to spell well brings.

Science shows that spelling is a way of accessing meaning and connects the bits of brain that involve self-government and executive functions.

When the digital age dawned, no one invited along spelling (or handwriting), but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a late arrival.

Correct spelling brings connection, communication, being understood. To that, we should all say YAAAS.

Jane Stephens is a USC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer. The views expressed are her own.

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share