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Abstract

Whole Language has come under recent attack, especially as some programs implementing instruction considered “whole language” have seen decreases in achievement scores in reading and writing (Fry, 1995). This has led many educators and parents to question whole language as a teaching philosophy and to mandate the structured, systematic teaching of phonics and other skill-based methods. However, many problems that are attributed to whole language as a philosophy are the outcomes of other educational dynamics that have led to ineffective practices. Issues related to identification of methodologies as “whole language,” failure to provide adequate training or mentoring to teachers, confusion of language as a communication process with language arts skills, the professional reluctance to provide teachers with a scaffold as an entry level into whole language, and failure to apply known principles of intervention within a whole language framework for children with special needs have all clouded the question regarding the efficacy of whole language philosophy and practice. Examination of these issues may clarify some of the present controversy, and provide considerations for program evaluation and change.

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Maybe the Problem Isn't Whole Language

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