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9/23/2014

Teaching of basic literacy skills is being eroded in our schools | South China Morning Post

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Teaching of basic literacy skills is being eroded


in our schools
Julie McGuire
life@scmp.com (m ailto:life@scm p.com )

PUBLISHED : Monday, 06 January, 2014, 11:50pm


UPDATED : Tuesday, 07 January, 2014, 9:12am

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Julie McGuire

I find the lack of literacy skills among young people today quite
disturbing. My son, who is soon going to high school, uses the word Print
(http://www.scmp.com/print/lif esty le/f amily "of" in sentences instead of "have" and "they're" instead of "their".
education/article/1399083/teaching-basicHe seems to be taught few of the basic language skills at school. Is
RELATED TOPICS
he expected to pick these up? I do not mean to sound old-fashioned,
literacy -skills-being-eroded-our-schools)
LIFE
but I firmly believe that grammar, spelling and punctuation should
Em ail be
(http://www.scm p.com /topics
taught properly.
(http://www.scmp.com/printmail/lif esty le/f amily /life)

education/article/1399083/teaching-basic-

The acquisition and application of language skills underpin success in all


literacy -skills-being-eroded-our-schools)
areas of the curriculum. Educational styles tend to move in cycles: there
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have been periods when it was fashionable to focus on key language skills,
and others when they have diminished in perceived importance. The rigour
Style Check: The
of teaching these skills also varies from school to school even today,
overexposure of
depending on the type of curriculum and the pedagogy that runs alongside.
Terry Richardson
The range of approaches is wide in Hong Kong but whatever the school's
(http://www.scmp.com/
strategy, these basic language skills are important - they need to be taught
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9/23/2014

Teaching of basic literacy skills is being eroded in our schools | South China Morning Post

explicitly.
This is not to say that the teaching of
grammar and punctuation has to be dull.
I firmly believe that
Perhaps this was the case in days gone by
of endless drills and boring dictation.
grammar, spelling
Research shows that when these skills are
and punctuation
taught in context, making relevant links to
should be taught
the learning in class, they can be more
meaningful for children, making it more likely
properly
that they retain the key concepts. For
example, teaching reading comprehension skills through researching areas
of interest or teaching drafting and editing skills through creative writing is
already taking place.
This tends to be much more interesting for students than a grammar lesson
that is unrelated to anything. Teaching in context takes careful planning by
the teacher to make sure that basic language skills are covered in an
organised way.
Some research goes as far as to say that pupils transfer very few decontextualised skills to their other work. A student may get full marks on a
spelling test yet spell poorly in free-writing exercises.
(https://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/2014/01/06/b73fee610be6ebf49a76f25282af734a.jpg)

In some schools there has been a move away from teaching the basics, or
the three Rs. Sometimes, teachers can be constrained by a tight timetable
which leaves little time for explicit language teaching.
Recent international tests have shown that standards of literacy are slipping,
and as a result there has been a concerted effort to teach grammar, spelling
and punctuation. This not only includes writing skills but also reading,
speaking and listening
Strong language skills will set a student up for success in most subjects. To
write in an effective way, children need to be able to use adjectives and
verbs, and communicate with their readers in an intelligible manner.
Conventional spelling and grammar these days is being eroded with
shortcuts used in social networking. Although some children know the
difference and can easily switch between the two, others can find this
confusing and get into bad habits. This does not change the fact that young
people should be able to write grammatically correct English. Spelling is
becoming a less important skill due to spell-check programs but students still
need to understand the conventions of spelling and basic etymology where
appropriate.
It may be difficult to define standard English but the ability to articulate ideas
clearly and concisely is increasingly important in our information-rich modern
societies. Children should be preparing themselves to engage fully in this
process.

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It is not old fashioned to expect grammar, spelling and punctuation to be


taught properly. This is a vital part of primary education, laying the
foundation for secondary school and beyond.
Julie McGuire teaches at a Hong Kong primary school.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as
Teaching of literacy skills being eroded

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Teaching of basic literacy skills is being eroded in our schools | South China Morning Post

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