Learn to Read Teaching Methods

By RaiChel Ronayne

Since the implementation of formalized education in the United States, there have been two different approaches to teaching children how to read, Phonics and Whole Language. Trends in education over the last century and a half have switched back and forth from favoring one method over the other.

The Whole Language method—first introduced by educator Horace Mann in the mid-1800’s, teaches children how to read by beginning with complete words. The concept of Whole Language supports the idea that children can learn to read the same way they learned to speak—through exposure to whole language.

Proponents of Whole Language argue that children learn to speak through exposure to complete conversations rather than the individual sounds that make up words. Thus, Whole Language teaches children to read by recognizing complete words instead of learning how individual letters are combined to create words.

When children are Learn to speak, repeated exposure to language is an important part of their success. Whole Language uses the same kind of repetition. Children are repeatedly drilled with simple words until they can recognize them by sight, then they are introduced to more complicated words, and so on.

Some linguists are skeptical of the Whole Language method due to a lack of evidence that shows humans learn to speak and learn to read in the same way. Research has proven that humans are ”pre-wired” at birth to acquire a spoken language and exposure to complete words and sentences facilitates language acquisition. However, this doesn’t necessarily apply to reading and writing. Supporters of a phonics-based education feel that spoken and written language is different enough that it should be taught differently.

The Phonics method—used in schools today, focuses on building a foundation of understanding about letters and letter sounds first, then words along with language rules, and then sentences. Once children learn letter sounds, they make a solid connection between how letters and words sound and how they are written. The Phonics strategy of sounding out words is a useful tool when children are confronted with unfamiliar words.

Some may see Whole Language as a natural progression of Phonics. Once children have an understanding about the components and rules of written language, they can use Whole Language to recognize words and word combinations. Presently, Phonics is the primary teaching method in schools, but studies over the past few decades suggest that emphasis on one approach over another hasn't improved reading statistics. There are just as many struggling readers today as there were thirty years ago.

Regardless of which approach to teaching educators and linguists favor, they still haven't come to a consensus about which method or combination of methods works better. However, many educators have found that when they customize a reading program based on their student's strengths and weaknesses along with a blend of Phonics and Whole Language, they see an increase in reading aptitude.

References

Parlapiano, Ellen H. Sounding Out Phonics. Retrieved December 15, 2006, from Scholastic Web site: http://www.scholastic.com/familymatters/read/grk_2/phonics.htm#what

Wren, Sebastian What Does a Balanced Literacy Approach Mean?. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from Southwest Education Development Laboratory Web site: http://www.sedl.org/reading/topics/balanced.html

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