Whole Language Approach
Steven-Scott S. H. Y. Oshiro
Wilmington University Whole Language Approach With the different approaches to teaching literacy, it’s easy to get confused about what is the right way, or most effective way, to teach children how to read. One commonality I have heard is “Which one do we use?” Educators want a single effective all-encompassing approach to use with all of their students in all of their classrooms. What they want does not exist although proponents of specific approaches might say otherwise. I will be examining the Whole Language approach to see how well it fits into the entirety of language instruction in today’s classroom and with the increasing focus on diverse learners and English language learners. …show more content…
Language was not dissected into separate parts, Whole Language views the acquisition of language as a single entity which integrates the individual skills of writing, speaking, reading, and listening. This holistic approach believes that the experiences of the learner — both newly acquired experience and prior knowledge — are what provides the foundation and subsequent growth of learning language (Patzelt, …show more content…
However, Moats, L. (2007) states that “the failures of whole language are many—from failure to teach phonics and other language skills explicitly and systematically, to an overly personalized, nondirective approach to reading comprehension.” I also believe this is true, but only when Whole Language is treated as a rigid and inflexible formula that fails to incorporate the learning styles and needs of a diverse population. As I see it, the Whole Language approach should not exclude systematic instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, or comprehension. It should include all over them. It cannot logically be considered “whole” if it excludes any literacy instruction or any curriculum, including Common Core. It should be a dynamic and comprehensive overview of English language acquisition through which emphasis and specific skills instruction is used to maintain a balanced learning
Steven-Scott S. H. Y. Oshiro
Wilmington University Whole Language Approach With the different approaches to teaching literacy, it’s easy to get confused about what is the right way, or most effective way, to teach children how to read. One commonality I have heard is “Which one do we use?” Educators want a single effective all-encompassing approach to use with all of their students in all of their classrooms. What they want does not exist although proponents of specific approaches might say otherwise. I will be examining the Whole Language approach to see how well it fits into the entirety of language instruction in today’s classroom and with the increasing focus on diverse learners and English language learners. …show more content…
Language was not dissected into separate parts, Whole Language views the acquisition of language as a single entity which integrates the individual skills of writing, speaking, reading, and listening. This holistic approach believes that the experiences of the learner — both newly acquired experience and prior knowledge — are what provides the foundation and subsequent growth of learning language (Patzelt, …show more content…
However, Moats, L. (2007) states that “the failures of whole language are many—from failure to teach phonics and other language skills explicitly and systematically, to an overly personalized, nondirective approach to reading comprehension.” I also believe this is true, but only when Whole Language is treated as a rigid and inflexible formula that fails to incorporate the learning styles and needs of a diverse population. As I see it, the Whole Language approach should not exclude systematic instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, or comprehension. It should include all over them. It cannot logically be considered “whole” if it excludes any literacy instruction or any curriculum, including Common Core. It should be a dynamic and comprehensive overview of English language acquisition through which emphasis and specific skills instruction is used to maintain a balanced learning