Rote vs. Visual Memory

If you are using flashcards or having your child write their spelling words 10x each, you are having your child use their weakest memory device. We call this rote memory.

A much stronger memory tool is visual memory. Getting your child to visualize and verbalize what they see has much stronger impact on memory with long term results. Spelling, for example, is a visual activity. Here is an example of a way that you can strengthen your child's visual memory...

When learning spelling words, have your child write them in the air on an imaginary chalk board. It is very important that they do this in the air and not on paper. Once they do this, have them "manipulate" the letters and then focus on the "tricky" parts in the words such as blends, vowel teams, and double letters. Let's say that one of the spelling words is "awesome."

Have your child write the word in the air and then ask the following questions:
1. What is the first letter? "a"
2. What is the last letter? "e"
3. What is the third letter? "e"
4. What vowel team is in the word? "aw"
5. Spell it backwards. "emosewa"

By working the word in the air, students are forced to see the words in their mind's eye or visual memory. Writing it down on paper is actually a harmful crutch while they are in the process of learning a word.

Now, some of you may be saying, "That can't be right. If I'm trying to remember how to spell a word, I always write it down." I contend that you do this because the word is already in your visual memory and you are simply trying to retrieve it. Before we can ask a student if a word "looks right," we must have them imprint it in their visual memory first.

Comparing and contrasting is another great way to work the visual memory. For example, students can compare words with the "ee" vowel team to those with the "ea" vowel team. Continued practice of looking at the word using their visual memory can help them keep track of this.

If you have a child who is continually spelling words phonetically-by how it sounds, try the above method as it will prevent them from writing like this:

"Wen I ferst go my dirt bike ther was something rong with it."

And instead, have it look like this:

"When I first got my dirt bike there was something wrong with it."

Happy Writing!!