Spalding Method vs. AAS

[ForeverFamily]

I know this topic has probably been discussed a lot. After searching through some old threads I couldn't find one that answered my questions. If anyone knows of one feel free to link it.

 

I have been debating back and forth between the advantages of each of these methods, Spalding (particularly teaching spelling) and AAS (I am sure there are others like AAS as well). I did the same thing this time last year as well. I feel like I am going in circles. I am not a spalding expert, I only basically understand the idea of Spalding from the PR dvds I have watched. But I am drawn to the approach. But I am also drawn to AAS as well.

 

The thing I like about AAS is that it gives the student plenty of opportunity to practice and focus on a single rule at one time. But at what point does the student stop thinking about what he/she is doing and start just "plugging and chugging" if you will. I like the fact that PR (or the Spalding Method) makes the student think about each word they are writing and it becomes a problem solving exercise. However, they usually don't have more than one word in a single lesson that follows a single spelling rule. Therefore they only get to practice it once that day. As a kid I remember doing best when I had at least more than one opportunity to practice a new rule/skill. I guess when I compare these two methods to math curricula, PR (Spalding Method) would be like a mental math program that is spiral. AAS would be more of a plug and chug method that is mastery. Of course that is just an exaggerated comparison. I guess my problem is I want a program that has mental-math and at the same time uses a mastery approach:lol:. I can't decide which approach is "better" (I know that there is no one "best" program for everyone). What I am getting at is which one will my child have the best chance of remembering the spelling rules?! I like the idea of having the opportunity to practice a spelling rule until you have it down pat, at the same time I don't want them to just go through the motions because they know all the words look alike. I want them to have the opportunity to problem solve and think about the words they are spelling. Ahhhh!:willy_nilly:I am going in circles again. I think I really like the Spalding method, I am just worried that my kids will not retain the words they learn because they will not get enough practice with each rule. And I am worried that because similar words with similar rules are not introduced at the same time they will have a harder time keeping them in their heads. I don't know if any of that made any sense. :001_huh:If you have read this far thank you.

 

I would love to know others thoughts on this. I have no one else to think out loud with, my Dh wasn't that interested in talking about methods and programs, he was just glad that I was trying to decide between two programs that I have already purchased:lol:. What have your experiences been with each approach? Has your child retained spelling rules better with one or the other? Why do you prefer one method over another? Any thoughts would be very much appreciated? I know there have been lots of threads comparing PR to AAS. That is not what I am trying to do. I am trying to compare the two different methodologies (when and how they present the new spelling words, even if that means talking about experience with a similar program that uses the same type of method). Thank you for any help that you may have! I would also love to hear your opinnion on why you think that your chosen program or method is best for your family. I am really just trying to explore the advantages and disadvantages of each approach to teaching spelling.

 

ETA: I wanted to add that I started last year using PR with my Dd6. My goal was to combine the two, somehow. I ended up just using AAS by the end of the year. I absolutely Love both programs. I have however, decided that I need to just pick ONE method and mainly stick with that. So as I explained I have fears about each one not being adequate. ANY wisdom, thoughts, or opinnions would be very much appreciated.

Edited August 17, 2012 by ForeverFamily

[Tracy]

I use SWR, and I think in this respect, Spalding and SWR are very similar. The beauty of the Spalding approach is that it is flexible enough to meet the needs of your child, whatever those needs are. If you see that your dc is struggling with a particular rule, then you have the freedom to focus on that rule, both in your spelling quizzes and tests, as well as in your dc's reading. In SWR, we also make reference pages for each rule. (I don't know if this is the case in Spalding.) So I feel like I have the best of both worlds--mental spelling and mastery.

[Dinsfamily]

I use SWR, and I think in this respect, Spalding and SWR are very similar. The beauty of the Spalding approach is that it is flexible enough to meet the needs of your child, whatever those needs are. If you see that your dc is struggling with a particular rule, then you have the freedom to focus on that rule, both in your spelling quizzes and tests, as well as in your dc's reading. In SWR, we also make reference pages for each rule. (I don't know if this is the case in Spalding.) So I feel like I have the best of both worlds--mental spelling and mastery.

 

:iagree: and I'm also an SWR user. Another of the ways my dc really learn those rules is by using the flash cards. PR has rule tunes, right? I think I've also heard something about reference pages in PR (building codes, perhaps). I've never felt that we needed to focus any more on the rules than we do.

[besroma]

:lurk5:

[campmom]

I used SWR with my olders - loved it. (almost exactly like PR)

I used AAS with my youngers level one only - liked it.

I'm using PR now - love/ hate relationship. Level 1. I still teach alot the SWR way because that is what is in my brain. that is also what I used to teach letter sounds/phonograms to my youngers because I'd planned to use SWR.

I find that the rule tunes have helped the rules stick the best out of all of these. So for remembering rules I'd say PR.

I have one ds that needs extra, so I do add a few things to review the words that he is having problems with.

If you want the best of both worlds use PR and add some review grouping the words by rules if you feel that would help. I'm liking that idea and think I will try it with my ds that needs extra review. Thanks for the idea!

[MerryAtHope]

I guess my problem is I want a program that has mental-math and at the same time uses a mastery approach:lol:.

 

LOL, love this description! However...AAS *IS* both. The dictations are the "mental" math, and the shuffled card reviews are the *mental* math. That is where you see if your child really retained the concept long-term, or if he/she needs to review more (or relearn a concept). The farther you get in the program, the more challenging the dictations become, because there is a greater variety of previously learned words they have to recall.

 

Also, starting in Level 3 the program teaches "word analysis," where the student breaks down words to see what they know about them, and what methods they need to use to spell the word. Do they know a rule? Would pronouncing for spelling help? Is there a silent E/why is it there? Does a pattern have to be remembered visually? Is there a root word or a morpheme that will help the student remember how to spell this word? And so on. Instead of being told which pattern to use (as they had been previously), they now start to decide that for themselves. Gradually as the student masteres the techniques, the responsibility for word analysis is turned over to the child. By Level 5 they are often told to look at a stack of words and analyze them (still with some helps in the TM for the teacher if needed). Some students will want to skip over this part, but it's so helpful if you make your student really apply what they learn.

 

HTH some! Merry :-)

[Irishmommy]

Well, this year I am giving Spalding a try. I have used AAS 1-3 with my older and we both just got bored of it. He did retain the rules, though. I like all the hands-on activities that AAS has, but with AAR coming out, I just felt like it was all too much. I found that I really wanted a simpler approach. I like that the phonics and spelling just go hand-in-hand in Spalding. Now, I might change my mind after we go through it, but I am going to give it a try. Also, I plan to let the kids practice with the AAS tiles. We'll see how it goes. Right now I am going through the WRTR book and getting my plans together.

[edeemarie]

Well, this year I am giving Spalding a try. I have used AAS 1-3 with my older and we both just got bored of it. He did retain the rules, though. I like all the hands-on activities that AAS has, but with AAR coming out, I just felt like it was all too much. I found that I really wanted a simpler approach. I like that the phonics and spelling just go hand-in-hand in Spalding. Now, I might change my mind after we go through it, but I am going to give it a try. Also, I plan to let the kids practice with the AAS tiles. We'll see how it goes. Right now I am going through the WRTR book and getting my plans together.

 

This sounds exactly like what we are doing. We have used AAS for 3 levels and there are several reasons we are switching to WRTR:

1) AAS is getting too expensive when you have to buy at least 2 levels a year (I know the resale is good but the initial purchase is not)

2) my oldest is the type of learning that sees something once and remembers it (hence the need for multiple levels a year)

3) I like the marking system in WRTR and my kids haven't really even used the tiles from AAS since the first couple of lessons in level 1

4) I like the dictation, but we have several other components in our curriculum that use these and let's just say the kids don't love all of the writing

5) I really want them to have the spelling notebook that will be a reference for them in case they are having trouble with a word

 

 

I am glad we used AAS because it seemed to make WRTR a lot easier for me to understand, anid now that I understand it I think WRTR is a better option for our family.

[boscopup]

I think you just have to try one and see how it works with your kids?

 

Both programs are excellent. Both teach the same phonograms and rules for the most part (very minor differences). AAS is more mastery based with plenty of spiral review (the dictation sentences use words from previous lessons, so you're constantly practicing other rules and such each lesson). The downside to that mastery base is that your child may be needing to spell words in their writing that they haven't learned yet in AAS and won't learn until some level way down the road. For example, I think "igh" isn't taught until level 5? :001_huh: That is a phonogram that my 3rd grader has to use sometimes in his regular writing (night, high, etc.). In that respect, Spalding et. al. is better because it goes by order of frequency. It starts out with words such as 'he', 'she', 'are', 'to', etc.

 

If your kids need to move very slow and learn one thing at a time, AAS will be the better choice for them. If your kids are ready to move on and learn a greater variety of words and learn all the phonograms up front, Spalding will be a better choice for them.

 

Also think about how YOU like to teach. AAS is open and go. PR will require you to watch a video, right? Which would you rather do - read a manual or watch a video?

 

But yeah, both are good choices. Pick one. Give it a good, lengthy try. If it doesn't work, switch to the other one. I switched spelling programs several times until I landed on the one I'm using now about halfway through 2nd grade. We're sticking with it, since *I* needed spelling to be somewhat independent, and my son was fine with that as long as his spelling program taught the phonics/rules associated with the words. His program does exactly that, and he's learning. His paragraphs for IEW lately have had fewer and fewer misspelled words (and I would expect misspelled words in "writing" at his age anyway... he's just starting to have those things come together this year, and I think next year at that magical age 9, it will probably really have come together, as many people have experienced). We previously used both AAS and Spalding, and I really liked both of them. I don't think you can go wrong with either one as long as it fits your teaching style and the kid's learning style. I'm currently using Spalding with DS2, though we're not the point of writing words yet. We're still working on handwriting and learning the phonograms. I think it will be a good fit for him, and I like that it will introduce frequently used words, so he can get to real books sooner. I don't enjoy such a teacher-dependent spelling program, BUT this child is going to need teacher-dependent for a while (he's likely dyslexic), so I'm dealing with it. My older son didn't need teacher-dependent, so he's happily doing the other program. We just do what works. :)

[boscopup]

I am glad we used AAS because it seemed to make WRTR a lot easier for me to understand, anid now that I understand it I think WRTR is a better option for our family.

 

This was my experience also. I didn't understand WRTR at first. Then I did AAS levels 1-3, and now WRTR was easy to understand. :D

 

Why in those millions of revisions can WRTR not make their materials easy to understand the first read? Separate the "why use this program" into a completely different section, drop the "fluff", and just teach how to use the program. It's pretty simple. It doesn't really need a gazillion chapters to explain it.

[deerforest]

I own and have read WRTR and have used AAS 1-2. I wasn't happy with either for different reasons. We switched to LoE and it has been perfect for us. DD has retention and learning like we never had in AAS. I love the structured approach which is not nearly as scripted as AAS. It moves faster but she is learning more. We are on lesson 7 now, and we are really happy.

 

I think all are excellent programs, and you really can't go wrong with any of them. The key is finding the right approach for you as a teacher and your kids' learning styles. For us, that right mix is LoE.

[8filltheheart]

I'm going to offer a completely different spin on your thought processes.

 

Ultimately, spelling rules will not make you a good speller simply b/c you know the rules. It is impossible to rule your way into spelling for words beyond the simplest rules. In addition to the rules, the correct phonograms must be memorized. W/o memorizing the actual word spelling, you are left with a rule and multiple options on how to spell the word correctly w/o violating any rule.

 

For example, why

 

fruit vs. frute (flute, brute)

 

skein vs. scane or scain (thane, chain)

 

prune vs. proon (moon, noon)

 

they vs. thay or theigh (fray, sleigh)

 

gnat vs. knat or nat (knot, hat)

 

learn vs. lurn or lern (fern)

 

toast vs. tost (post)

 

(Trust me, I could post lots of examples. ;) )

 

Instead of focusing on which approach leads to mastering the rules (which is not that difficult, really), I would focus on which approach will assist the child in mastering the correct phonogram selection in addition to the rule. (FWIW, I have some really poor spellers who can recite every phonogram and every rule perfectly. :tongue_smilie: Just a heads up that there is more to spelling than learning the rules. Some kids learn spelling very naturally and it is not a problem. Others......not so much. ;))

[Crazyderiver]

:iagree:

I own and have read WRTR and have used AAS 1-2. I wasn't happy with either for different reasons. We switched to LoE and it has been perfect for us. DD has retention and learning like we never had in AAS. I love the structured approach which is not nearly as scripted as AAS. It moves faster but she is learning more. We are on lesson 7 now, and we are really happy.

 

I think all are excellent programs, and you really can't go wrong with any of them. The key is finding the right approach for you as a teacher and your kids' learning styles. For us, that right mix is LoE.

 

I could have written this as well. LoE has been the program combinations and strengths I was looking for from the various options.