In the past the method of giving the spelling lesson was to assign a
list of words for pupils to study. After a period of time the lesson was
“recited.” The “recitation” consisted largely of testing the pupils,
either orally or through written work, to see if they had learned what
had been assigned to them.
This method of learning spelling appealed to only one type of pupil,
_i.e._, the pupil who learned by _seeing_. However, we know now that,
although most children depend largely upon vision for what they learn,
there are those who learn best by hearing the word _spoken_, while there
are others who learn best by going through the motions of making the
letters, either with the throat or the hand, and a large majority learn
best by using all four processes.
To obtain the best results teachers are urged to give the pupils a
chance to use all four processes, not for the purpose of testing their
ability to spell, but _as a method of learning_. In this way appeal is
made successively to the eye, the ear, the vocal organs, and the hand.
All these taken together form associations which will be of great help
in enabling the pupil to retain the correct spelling of the word. It
gives the pupil a mental picture of the word through the sense that is
best suited to him, besides giving all pupils the help of all the senses
in fixing the word.
If the sense of hearing holds an important place in learning to spell
then oral spelling becomes an important factor in the teaching and
learning to spell. _Oral spelling should always precede written
spelling._