Spelling Strategy – an NLP version of how to deal with poor spelling strategies.
A: Find a word that person would find almost impossible to spell usually (a bit harder than the word “success”). Something like “unnecessary”.
B: Takes bits of paper and make the word into smaller chunks and write them in different colours. Let’s look at a hard word to spell, unnecessary.
So, for instance
UNNE –
CESS –
ARY –
C: Then show them to your learner one by one, holding them up into their visual remembered place. Have them really VISUALISE it, not say to themselves. Use the words like “let this word and colour, burn into your visual memory…” Make them feel good every time they are doing it.
D: When you take away each piece of paper, have them keep their eyes looking that same spot and keep them SEEING it. If they are not, put it back into VR
E: Then, eventually hold all three together and make the word (sometimes sellotape may work here, or just flexible fingers).
F: Get them to see the whole word (they should not feel unresourceful now). “Now spell unnecessary”
G: When they do it, see them feeling good and ask if them to spell it backwards!!
I’m the same, I cant spell very well BUT, I don’t care. Your learner probably does.
This does not cure bad spelling but it takes it from the label of “Dyslexia” or “stupid” to “oh I’ve just got a poor spelling strategy….”
