Reflection: All subjects should correct spelling and grammar.

Of course. I could end it there but I have had some conversations with colleagues about this and I seem to come across some pretty bad writing in my travails. First off, in the spirit of disclosure, I don't spell very well. For instance, I will need the spell checker to spell necessary correctly. But, I have never let not knowing how to spell a word stop me from using it. And, I certainly haven't let not knowing what it means stop me either. But that's a vanity thing. Anyway, when I'm writing a test (which I'm doing a fair bit of for this program and I hadn't done in six years) I will always have a crack at it and put (sp?) next to it. Now for a test, I don't expect to be marked down but I would expect it to be noted as well as any other mistakes in spelling. But, tests are a bit different. There are other anxieties at play there.

But should they be corrected in anything that a student has the time to proofread and actually prepare? Sure. For all subjects? You bet. For me, I solve the spelling problem by always having m-w.com running. Unfortunately that usually sends me off trying to find a way to use words like prolegomena. Anyway, I do try to spell every word correctly and I would expect my students to do the same. To limit your written lexicon to what you can spell would be a pretty short leash. This is why I think that you have to be clear why something is wrong. I got a paper back this year that got docked marks for grammar but the prof didn't signify to me where the transgressions had occurred. Also, I think that sometimes grammar is confused with register or style. I also think that you can use spelling and grammar mistakes to gauge where a student is weak. (parenthetically, is a difficulty with homonyms a spelling or a diction error?) But the remediation has to be delivered with a velvet glove. You still have to encourage risk taking with the writing. And reading. I'm sure there are mountains of work on the correlation between how much a person reads and their grammar proficiency (and I'm sure they have a sexier term than grammar proficiency). Modeling too. Challenge with interesting vocabulary.

That's the easy bit. Now the 'for all subjects' part. Still yes. All disciplines have a body of texts around it. Literacy skills are just as important for those too. The Bristol board science fair projects should be held to the same technical standards for language too. I don't know what the grading is like for lab reports in university science courses but if a kid gets there and has never had an honest evaluation about his writing skill, his teachers have done him a great disservice. And that's what I think it is, being honest. If you don't correct spelling and grammar you are colluding with the enemies of discourse.

[Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches]