Game replaces the spelling test

By Katherine Sellgren
BBC News education reporter

Teachers say the children are motivated by a game

Forget learning a list of words for the weekly spelling test - pupils at Norwich Road School in Thetford get to play games instead.

Using a computer keyboard recognition game, teachers have pupils shouting out answers, spelling out loud and talking at the front of class.

The game - Keyboard Crazy - uses an enlarged plastic model of the keyboard with removable letters.

The aim is to put the letters and command keys into the right holes, reproducing the correct keyboard layout.

But teachers at Norwich Road say the game can also be used to encourage pupils to build words, understand spelling rules and explore word meanings.

Teachers use the game to get pupils used to speaking to the whole class

So a group of six- and seven-year-olds can act out the "ing" rule (double the last letter if there is only one consonant after the vowel) in a co-operative and hands-on way.

The teacher calls out a word like "running" and, in small groups, the pupils spell it out on the keyboard, trying to be the first group to come up with the correct spelling.

To keep them on their toes, she may throw in a word like "helping" to see if they have mastered the "ing" rule.

For Year 4 pupils, eight- and nine-year-olds, the teacher can discuss compound words, like ladybird and cupboard.

Each team of pupils gets to choose part of a compound word, like bag, and the other teams have to guess the other part of the word and spell it out on the keyboard.

The game uses a plastic model of the keyboard

This game makes an immediate impact with Year 4 pupils at Norwich Road as they learn a handbag is not a "hambag".

Targeting age groups

For Year 6 pupils, 10- and 11-year-olds, the game can take a more sophisticated approach.

The teacher may call out a sentence and ask the teams to single out the adjective or the adverb and spell it out.

"I like it because it helps us learn what nouns and adjectives and adverbs are," says Louise, 11.

"When we spell the word, it makes sense. I've learnt lots of sounds and words," says Molly aged seven.

"It helps me to spell some words I didn't know and it helps me to learn new words," says nine-year-old Alexandre, whose first language is Portuguese.

Head teacher Dulcie Ogilvie says the spelling test can be a grind

"It's really fun and it's better than having to sit in the classroom and look at the board and learn that way," says Lauren, also nine.

Head teacher Dulcie Ogilvie says the game helps "bring spelling to life".

"This is about really using your brain, really understanding spelling and that way the learning gets embedded, because it's something they love doing.

"We are moving completely away from the weekly spelling test - the grind of that and the way it manages to switch off 50% of the children who fail or find it a bore - to a portion of the week where they can have a bit of fun and they do learn."

Writing skills enhanced

Year 6 teacher John Bell, who brought to the school the idea of using Keyboard Crazy to promote what he calls "mental literacy", says the pupils have made huge improvements.

"Their speaking and listening skills are massively improved, they work together in groups better, their vocabulary has been expanded and spelling skills improved," says Mr Bell.

Teachers say the game improves communication skills

"And as a result of all those things, their writing levels have been enhanced."

Mr Bell says the game has a wide range of uses, from encouraging sharp thinking skills to helping children who have English as a second language.

"It furnishes so many areas of the curriculum."

'Buzzing'

Year 4 teacher Joe Gray says teaching with the game is very much breaking away from the norm.

"It's so noisy, exciting, fun - fun to teach and fun to do. It's exciting because they're buzzing.

"Children have to listen very, very carefully to words, the way words are pronounced and they have to listen to each other."

Pupils are encouraged to spell out the words they are making

Assistant head teacher and Year 2 teacher Penny Ricketts says the game builds up the self-esteem of pupils and helps them talk and listen to each other.

"It's promotes teamwork and co-operation, because they've got to work together," she says.

"It engages all the children."

So what would the head teacher say to sceptics who believe there is no substitute for the weekly spelling test?

"This is the real learning - what better learning medium than play , that a game. Play is the child's work, as the saying goes," says Mrs Ogilvie.

Spreading the word

Norwich Road School has helped launch a pilot of the game in other schools in Norfolk.

A report by the local authority concluded that "all teachers involved in the project felt it had been a valuable experience".

Other local education authorities (LEAs) in England are assessing the impact of the game on pupils' literacy.

Norwich Road School has taken the game to other schools

A pilot scheme by Warrington LEA found schools reported "high levels of motivation" among pupils.

And Year 3 pupils (seven- and eight-year-olds) at Northcote Primary School in Liverpool have also tried the game.

Like the children at Norwich Road, these pupils found the game a novel approach to learning.

"I liked Keyboard Crazy because we got to answer questions on our keyboards and we learned things in a fun way," said Shannon.

"I liked it because we got to learn things in a fun way, and people probably did not notice that they were learning," said Sydney.

"We learned where letters on the keyboard are - we learned new things in a fun way," said Courtney.

Head teacher Roy Morgan said: "We find it to be highly stimulating for the children - they've been really engaged by it."