SpellingWorks: would we do it differently now?

Back when SpellingWorks was first published, there were books around on phonics, and on spelling rules, but not much on spelling strategies… so we focussed a lot on developing those strategies.

Now I look at the book again, though, I think if I was writing it again, I’d put more emphasis at the start on ‘make sure you have that basis of understanding sound/symbol correspondences in English’.

I think we’re all much more aware now that that that understanding is something you can’t assume (especially for learners from another language background).