Low scores by New Zealand's students in recent international tests of literacy have prompted a rethink of the country's curriculum.
Educator Christine Braid thinks that teaching handwriting and spelling may come in handy. Teaching these basic skills is often marginalized but unless these foundations are developed, children often struggle with more complex tasks of constructing paragraphs and texts. Older children struggling with composition also struggle with handwriting.
Some question the use of handwriting and spelling in today's digital age and spellcheckers. But we still use both for everyday tasks. Baird notes that the easier it is to put words on a page, the easier it is for writers to compose ideas into sentences.
But there is hope.
New teaching strategies and books around spelling and reading are being introduced in schools. However, teacher training will need to be updated to ensure success for the next generation of New Zealand's citizens.
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