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Posted

I don't think it is rote learning. I have met a boy who came in 3rd in Nat SB. It is more about reading a lot and about origin of words, that way they can best guess the spelling of the word. It is not that they know these words or practiced the spelling. It is not possible to knpw all the spelling before hand.

Posted
I don't think it is rote learning. I have met a boy who came in 3rd in Nat SB. It is more about reading a lot and about origin of words' date=' that way they can best guess the spelling of the word. It is not that they know these words or practiced the spelling. It is not possible to knpw all the spelling before hand.[/quote'] True. Its impossible to memorize all spellings, they may ask spellings of words which you may not find in the dictionary.I think in the earlier rounds there maybe some rounds based on grammar and not just spellings so your language has to be up to the mark.
Posted

Nice parlor trick, but do not see any practical application. Learning correct spelling in the age of auto-correct is like knowing how to use a whitener to correct typewriting errors.

Posted
Nice parlor trick' date=' but do not see any practical application. Learning correct spelling in the age of auto-correct is like knowing how to use a whitener to correct typewriting errors.[/quote'] As if learning maths and science has any practical applications for common man.
Posted
As if learning maths and science has any practical applications for common man.
Of course it does. Maybe not the advance level (calculus, etc) but most math do. And do remember, math and science are not competing and showing off in these contests as school kids
Posted

Enough with the 'Oh these kids are just memorizing stuff, its of no use at all...' Let me ask this question - How many of you here have been so good at a thing (anything) where you have actually outdone 30,000 competitors from an entire country to be among the top-50 finalists? How many of you here have gone on stage to a nationwide tv audience of millions and withstood the pressure of the occasion? These kids are 13,14 years old. When I was that age, I didnt give a eff about anything my life other than just having fun with my friends. These kids care enough about a thing so as to put their sweat and hard-work and be among the best at it. You dont accidentally become a spelling bee finalist. It takes hard-work, dedication, discipline and above all, passion to be that good at anything. And I kid you not, if I ever own a small business and one these kids come want to apply for a job in an organization, i am hiring them with my eyes closed.

Posted
Enough with the 'Oh these kids are just memorizing stuff' date= its of no use at all...' Let me ask this question - How many of you here have been so good at a thing (anything) where you have actually outdone 30,000 competitors from an entire country to be among the top-50 finalists? How many of you here have gone on stage to a nationwide tv audience of millions and withstood the pressure of the occasion? These kids are 13,14 years old. When I was that age, I didnt give a eff about anything my life other than just having fun with my friends. These kids care enough about a thing so as to put their sweat and hard-work and be among the best at it. You dont accidentally become a spelling bee finalist. It takes hard-work, dedication, discipline and above all, passion to be that good at anything. And I kid you not, if I ever own a small business and one these kids come want to apply for a job in an organization, i am hiring them with my eyes closed.
Top post. Lot of learning we do in schools would never have practical applications in our life, but winning these competition require lot of hard-work, discipline and perseverance, and these kids have shown these qualities at such young age is reason enough for me to appreciate them.
Posted
Enough with the 'Oh these kids are just memorizing stuff' date= its of no use at all...' Let me ask this question - How many of you here have been so good at a thing (anything) where you have actually outdone 30,000 competitors from an entire country to be among the top-50 finalists? How many of you here have gone on stage to a nationwide tv audience of millions and withstood the pressure of the occasion? These kids are 13,14 years old. When I was that age, I didnt give a eff about anything my life other than just having fun with my friends. These kids care enough about a thing so as to put their sweat and hard-work and be among the best at it. You dont accidentally become a spelling bee finalist. It takes hard-work, dedication, discipline and above all, passion to be that good at anything. And I kid you not, if I ever own a small business and one these kids come want to apply for a job in an organization, i am hiring them with my eyes closed.
The success rate you are taking about is lower than most entrance examinations in India. So, most Indians with a professional degree are better than the rate you suggest. You miss the point - no one questions the hard work, dedication etc. put in by 13-14 year old kids. We have kids put in as such (or even more) hard work for in competitions like SaReGaMaPa, Indian Idol etc. The issues highlighted by people are the pragmatic relevance of this competition in the contemporary world. Does memorization of spelling give you any distinct advantage in your life - short term or long term? You have side stepped the point raised to whom you wanted to reply to.
Posted
Top post. Lot of learning we do in schools would never have practical applications in our life' date= but winning these competition require lot of hard-work, discipline and perseverance, and these kids have shown these qualities at such young age is reason enough for me to appreciate them.
The purpose of schools is to set up a few basic pillars so that you can take a step in any direction you want to. Hence, the focus is on breadth rather than depth. Once you are older you are free to choose the direction you want to pursue. It is the school knowledge which gives you that foundation comes into picture. Think of school like the beginnings of an exploratory phase in life.
Posted

There's a lot more to these spelling contests than just memorization. Even if the bulk of it is memorization, the kids do gain a lot of knowledge. Other skills include discipline as well at an early age. A lot of new words are added to the English language from other languages so a lot of the words these kids may not have seen before. They have to use the clues wrt to etymology, pronunciation, and then see all the patterns followed in that language. It's not just memorization of words, there's more to the learning process. In any case, they vocabulary level (or command of the English language) would exceed that of college students. So what's the harm? There's a lot of other competitions as well like engineering, business, science, etc as well. All of these are to engage the student and get them interested in the select field at an early age.

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