Modern Teacher Competence In Appraising Students' Written Expression And Spelling:- Igbozuruike, Hope I

ABSTRACT

Introduction In attempting to define who a competent teacher is, one might arrive to an array of definitions, for there abound a variety of opinions. According to Okon and Anderson (2002), some people think of a"competent teacher as a kind person who loves the students, a disciplinarian, a leader with wisdom among other indices. In the words of Obinna (2001), the appraisal of written expression and spelling ability has long been a serious problem for teachers for all grade levels. It is well known that teachers will often disagree when to evaluate the quality of a written composition. One teacher may unconsciously place a premium on the grammatical correctness of a composition, especially for originality of the .ideas expressed. Johnson (2004) stated that typically, it is quite difficult to define exactly the criteria or standard which a teacher may use to assess a written expression and spelling. Any correctly spelt words can be discriminated from incorrectly spelt words with high validity and reliability. It is the purpose of this study to bring together some ideas and techniques which may reduce the inconsistency often found in the appraisal of written expression and spelling. Written expression according to Stuckless (1996)does not include hand writing or motor ability although these factors may be important pre-requisites for a student to be able to place his thoughts on paper. Obinna (2001) stated that written expressions include daily written assignments of many kinds which include letter writing, creative or original writing of stories or experiences factual or abstract essays, book reports and even essay tests. There are vital elements which should be considered in assessing students performances on these activities.