English literacy competence in the Central Pacific Republic of Kiribati is considered important for employment, overseas study and general engagement with a globalizing world. It is also considered as a key factor in the current government's response to climate change and sea level rise, enabling skilled relocation of I-Kiribati to other countries…

At present, Whole Language (WL) teachers DO teach reading as a part of their curriculum. However, the new common core learning standards set the stage for Foreign Language in Elementary Schools (FLES) teachers to take a more active role, if not lead the way in developing important reading skills in children. Although this new challenge may at…

In this article, the authors assess the evidence related to various instructional styles for teaching reading to children with learning disabilities. Results of the literature review indicate that whole language and direct instruction are the two major approaches to teaching reading. Whole language has proven successful for many students with…

This article examines recent research and developments relating to the role of phonemic awareness and phonics in early literacy education and the relevance of these findings for school counsellors and teachers. It defines and reviews the role of phonemic awareness and phonics in theoretical models of reading processes, including whole-language,…

Describes things the author learned from presentations at the 2001 Whole Language Umbrella conference, including: not many classroom teachers attended the conference; classroom teachers and professors need each other; people take pride in the whole language name; the most powerful force in a classroom is an expert teacher; and building a community…

Argues that "whole language" is a philosophy that places meaning making at the center of learning and instruction. Suggests that literature and a literature-based program play a critical role in the classroom and in developing student motivation. Suggests that the teacher is the critical facilitator for meaning making in an interactive…

Reacting to whole language zealots who are not willing to hear new viewpoints or engage in a dialogue with people who differ from their paradigm of education, a graduate student-teacher-researcher who is in general agreement with whole language principles responds to a series of conversations in which she was a listener but not a participant. The…

Discusses three trends in approaches to reading and literacy instruction: (1) the move from basal to literature-based instruction; (2) the move from emphasis on product to emphasis on process; and (3) the trend away from teacher as technician toward teacher as decision maker. States that these trends will result in profound and lasting changes in…

Discusses, from the point of view of a leader in the whole language movement, the role and the importance of teachers in whole language literacy instruction. (SR)

Whole language may be described as authentic and purposeful experiences with language in a child's natural environment--it is a philosophy that combines all content area subjects into a meaningful process. The teaching of whole language over the entire spectrum of the curriculum was observed in the Catholic Primary Schools of the Archdiocese of…

Based on questions asked by teachers in classes, workshops, and conference sessions, this paper provides brief answers to eight of the most frequently asked questions about portfolio assessment. The questions answered in the paper are: (1) What is a portfolio?; (2) What should be put in the portfolio?; (3) How much should be put in the portfolio?;…

Examines relationships between theoretical beliefs toward reading instruction and attitudes about pupil control. Uses the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (TORP) and Pupil Control Ideology (PCI). Finds that (1) as teachers moved toward the whole language end of the TORP scale, PCI scores were more humanistic; and (2) teachers oriented…

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…

Teachers using the whole-language approach to reading instruction (instead of phonics readers and worksheets) claim this practice is child centered, allows student reading choices, develops the whole child, makes learning relevant, and promotes a lifelong love of learning. Whole-language teachers should adopt a transactional pedagogy and link…

Examines (from the perspective of developmental dialectics) the on-going debate between traditional instruction and whole-language advocates in reading. Provides an overview of the differences between the two camps. Outlines the reasons why whole-language approaches have increasingly been incorporated into classrooms. Speculates on how the debate…