Spellchecking as part of language pedagogy

[George Hawrysch]

> the idea of background spellchecking on Russian language exercise sites.

The purpose of real-time spell checking is to produce error-free text
and to save time. Is that also the purpose of your Russian exercises?

> The standard argument for spellchecking is that it weeds out “stupid”
> errors or true typos

That implies a typology of errors wherein some kinds of mistakes are of
little interest. If that is the case, your spell checker must be able
to recognize any such distinctions in real-time too.

> But that idea could produce seven correct answers with the same  
> words “У Маши нет машины” just through word order variation alone.

This is not an issue of spelling per se.

> What other arguments for and against are out there? How do people  
> come down on this issue?

Case by case. Various language exercises may have different goals
and anticipated outcomes. The instructor needs to decide what the
function and significance of student errors will be before setting
up error-handling functionality. At present the whole question of
errors in student language-production is under-researched.

George Hawrysch

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