Maintains that whole language is not a prescriptive approach but a philosophy oriented toward student needs, inquiry, interaction, and, generally, "transaction" over "transmission." Discusses how a teacher becomes a whole language teacher, some of the difficulties of incorporating whole language into traditional curriculums, and the prospects for…

Describes the whole language "way of being" from the perspective of a department chair teaching remedial 9th-grade and honors 12th-grade students. Considers how whole language fits into standardized testing programs, what students take away from whole language, what its general characteristics are, and how it fits with student learning patterns…

Defines whole language as a spirit that provides shape or climate for a classroom by emphasizing the use of literature and activities that are experience or contextually based. Explains that whole language approaches strive for authentic or real situations in which learning comes naturally. Maintains that whole language is not just a trend. (TB)

Describes a special project, in which at-risk ninth graders created a package of materials that a Peace Corps volunteer could take with him to Kyrghyzstan, where he was to teach English. Explains how the package contained an array of student-generated materials, including videos, newspapers, alphabet books, and cassette readings. (TB)