Offers reflections by a teacher educator who spent a year teaching a third-grade class. Discusses the realities of a teacher's internal decision-making process and day-to-day interactions with children in the classroom. Notes that uncertainty is what keeps the inquiry process going. (SR)

Argues that focusing vision and going beyond imitation is the path by which the teacher becomes a learner and, as a result, a better teacher. Illustrates the individual search for authority of two teachers through two personal stories. (SR)

States that in education journal articles it is apparent that "multicultural" is the new buzz word. Argues that while multicultural awareness is important, the surface treatment of the issue of diversity in America may obscure the more serious problems that minority groups face. Concludes that with effort, schools can be transformed into…

Describes a summer reading enrichment program that used whole language methodology and represented a collaboration between the Learning Institute of the Jewish Community Center on Staten Island, New York, and the Staten Island Children's Museum. Discusses getting started at the exhibit, program format, program evaluation, and recommendations for…

Describes how a first-grade bilingual teacher plans a thematic unit using a whole language approach. Discusses how the teacher plans her instruction to cover the maximum number of state-mandated objectives while drawing upon the cultural background, experiences, and interests of her students. (SV)

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…

This article presents an interview with two experts in whole-language instruction (Patricia Tefft Cousin and Margaret Richeck) and then offers a commentary section that provides another perspective of the whole-language method, concluding that children with learning disabilities need many types of instruction. (JDD)

Discusses the author's experiences in learning about the whole-language approach. Suggests that whole language is not so much about method or philosophy as it is about power. Offers five suggestions for administrators and teacher educators to help teachers explore the possibilities of whole language. (RS)

Reflects on the role of literature in reading instruction. Reviews briefly research on whole language. Discusses the problems and promises of the whole-language approach and the use of children's literature in the classroom. (RS)

The whole-language movement is challenging educators to reconsider their early childhood programs and assumptions about children and learning. This article explores four promises of whole-language philosophy central to early childhood education (language, active learning, play, and home-school relationships), and explores some program…

A holistic philosophy that learning should be driven by a quest for meaning is manifested in adult basic education by such varied approaches as process writing, whole language, problem posing, alternative assessment, mathematics as problem solving and critical thinking, and family literacy. (SK)

Discusses some principles, considerations, and cautions for those creating staff development programs in whole language. Discusses factors necessary for effective implementation of whole-language programs. (RS)

Discusses the history and importance of bibliotherapy. Suggests that reading teachers need to be aware of the literature which can be used in the classroom and that bibliotherapeutic literature should be a component of reading programs for at-risk students. Appends a 135-item list of bibliotherapeutic literature organized into 55 topics. (RS)

Discusses what happens when students and teachers are encouraged to use multiple ways of knowing in mediating their experiences with the world. Suggests that a good language arts program expands the communication potential of all learners through the orchestration and use of multiple ways of knowing for purposes of ongoing interpretation and…

Teaching grammar to deaf and hard-of-hearing students within a whole-language perspective involves recognition of students' developmental needs and the needs of the task. Strategies for teaching grammar include comparing student work with standard writing; identifying and classifying nouns and verbs; clarifying the roles of modifiers; and building…