US government mandates to implement intensive phonics instruction in elementary classrooms invoke an alleged scientific superiority of this approach over more meaning-centered models. But curiously absent from this scientific enterprise is a study of the phonics system itself. Advocates of intensive phonics have not demonstrated that the commonly…

Although parallel block scheduling continues to benefit student learning, it is challenged to meet the needs of new educational programs, particularly whole language and interdisciplinary instruction. Two illustrated blocks show how teachers can effectively divide their time between whole-group and small-group instruction and integrate science and…

A recent study comparing whole language and skills-oriented instruction found that students in whole language classes spent more time on cognitively complex literacy tasks. Educators need to balance the use of narrative and expository text, integrate subject matter areas, and use a variety of instructional grouping strategies. Includes 10…

Investigates how the perspectives of today's Leaders compare to the views of prominent Reading Specialists of the past by: (1) comparing how Specialists and Leaders addressed the three major themes of neo-traditional instruction, fadism and ideological debates, and professional development; and (2) noting issues ignored or downplayed by both…

Change in teaching practice is a popular theme in literacy education. A case study examined the nature of the change process in a teacher in a large Caribbean island school district who made a personal decision to change instructional practices from skills-based methods to whole language methods. Through data collection and analysis, a metaphor,…

Controversy rages over whole-language/phonics approaches to reading instruction, giving critics great school-bashing opportunities. Districts that have successfully incorporated whole language generally have planned for change, involved parents, proceeded slowly, built in ongoing professional development, provided adequate resources, reassured…

Enlarges the phonics/whole language debate by focusing on the classroom teacher's evolving role. Whole language instruction involves a fundamental change in a teacher's belief system concerning classroom culture. A complex paradigm shift is needed from teachers' transmission of knowledge to students' transaction or engagement with constructing…

The tide is slowly turning against prevailing forms of student assessment. The Primary Language Record, a whole-language-based system that assesses elementary students' literacy skills, assumes that all children can learn and that diversity and multilingualism are valuable assets. A sidebar details FairTest's criticisms of standardized testing.…

Drawing on specific examples in elementary school classrooms and flying instruction analogies, this article shows how teachers can creatively combine tenets of both holistic and direct approaches to reading instruction. Students are more likely to use reading and writing effectively when teachers themselves are empowered to select intelligently…

Examines four aspects of whole language (definition, implementation, skills instruction, and assessment) from the perspective of eight school administrators, four building principals and four curriculum directors. Finds the administrators viewed whole language as an instructional approach rather than as an instructional philosophy. (NH)

Since the rise of the whole language movement, Sylvia Ashton-Warner's key vocabulary, individualized reading, and experience charts have been notable for their omission from the many books available on whole language. Whole language strength is notable in at least four major areas: (1) its learner-centeredness; (2) its scorn of commercial…

Distressed by media headlines trumpeting supposed "reading-and-writing wars," a reading education professor discusses his Delphi survey of 11 reading experts. Experts agreed that emphasizing only phonics instruction and drill-and-practice would make learning to read difficult. Reading would be facilitated by bringing together…

Suggests that a new perspective is needed on the "great debate" in literacy instruction between whole language and phonics. Proposes an approach that integrates comprehension and decoding into a system designed around the principles of student-centered, authentic instruction in a socially engaging context. Considers the advantages of…

Some children learn to read easily with phonics, and some do better with a whole-language approach. Principals should understand both systems and use the best of both, together with other effective reading programs. Teachers should balance their reading programs by providing structure for analytic students, reading to students, and relying on…

This report of qualitative findings, gathered from four sources, presents guidelines to promote implementation of whole language. The report uses Donald Ely's (1990) conditions for change as a framework. These conditions are: dissatisfaction with the status quo, the existence of knowledge and skills, availability of time and resources,…