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…

Class collaboration and small group composition illustrate the embedding of cooperative learning theory in whole language classroom events. Through this experience all students participate in active learning. The teacher has a weighty role in decision making, setting of the lesson, assigning roles, and monitoring segments of cooperative learning…

It is argued that if whole language teachers are to use computers in their reading and writing programs, they will need both software and strategies for using computers that are consistent with their beliefs and goals. For whole language teachers, as for other good teachers, it is the teacher's beliefs about curriculum and instruction rather than…

This practicum investigated whether using whole language, cooperative learning, CAI, and an authentic audience to create a magazine would help second and third grade students to learn punctuation skills. The practicum was implemented at a private, south Florida summer computer camp to two different target groups of eight elementary students. Both…

"Decodable text" devotees say phonics is scientifically superior to the whole-language approach, which supposedly lacks research validation. However, 60 years of research supports holistic, literature-based approaches to literacy. Whole-language instruction is further validated by research on independent reading, cooperative learning, Reading…

Designed to help teachers think about, analyze, and make decisions on literacy instruction, this book provides the conceptual framework and methodology to put the ideas of Lev Vygotsky into practice for classroom literacy instruction. The book claims that Vygotsky's ideas provide a cohesive framework and an operational model that teachers can use…

Determining the appropriate amount and type of teacher and student input is a complex curriculum and instructional challenge for writing teachers. This paper describes a teacher-researcher's experiences while teaching a fifth-grade class and studying a developing writer's workshop approach to writing instruction. She investigated: (1) how students…

Discusses the rationale and attributes of the whole-language approach and applies it to secondary social studies instruction. Describes assessment strategies used with the whole-language approach and maintains that evaluation of student writing helps prepare them for appraisal in the workplace. (CFR)

This guide, designed for regular classroom teachers in whose mainstream classes language-minority children are enrolled, offers background information and suggestions for helping these students become proficient in English reading and writing and for involving them as resources for global and cultural awareness in majority-language classmates. The…

Asserts that social studies is an integrated field of study that calls for organizing the curriculum in a holistic manner. Maintains that the whole-language movement, which involves thinking about reading and writing as integrated, reciprocal processes, forms a natural partnership with social studies instruction. (CFR)

This English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) journal periodical devotes entire issues to specific issues. The theme of this issue is "Content-Base Instruction." Articles include: "Syllabus Design in Content-Based Instruction" (David E. Eskey); "How Relevant Is Relevance?: An Examination of Student Needs, Interests, and…