The "whole language approach" has generated much controversy among educators, who have agreed on the importance of language in the early years but have not reached consensus on the most effective approach to employ. Whole language is viewed as a developmental process. Research, conducted since the mid-1980s, has shown that whole language is an…

In the area of language instruction, a network of ecological relationships exists among the teacher, the child, and the text--the sustaining and nurturing of these relationships is at the heart of whole language instruction. Moreover, this network of relationships falls prey to neither of the unsustainable extremities of "gericentrism"…

This study examined, through classroom observations and teacher surveys, the instructional beliefs and practices in reading of second- and third-grade teachers in selected schools in the United States and Australia. Australian participants consisted of 16 second-grade and 11 third-grade teachers in New South Wales; American participants were 17…

This study investigated three questions regarding: (1) teachers' views about the role of children's literature in the reading program; (2) how teachers implement literature-based reading programs in their classrooms; and (3) the congruence between teacher perceptions and teacher practice regarding literature-based reading instruction. Subjects,…

This report describes graduate courses in the whole language approach offered by Lander College to 10 rural school districts in South Carolina. The whole language approach is seen as a way to meet the educational needs of rural at-risk students. In the first course on the whole language approach, 10 early childhood teachers engaged in workshops on…

This document provides an overview of a family literacy demonstration project conducted to offer family literacy classes in three public schools in Philadelphia. The project was designed to help adults meet their own needs and to enable them to support their children's learning. The whole-language, learner-centered approach was used. Background…

Based on research of literature-based instruction in elementary schools that serve large numbers of economically-disadvantaged children, this paper discusses 10 factors that can enhance the implementation of literature-based instruction. The paper suggests that teachers: (1) provide extensive professional development opportunities; (2) provide for…

A study investigated how writing skills were taught and learned in one low-SES, urban, whole language primary classroom. Participants were three teachers who team-taught a group of primary-age children and 11 children who were considered conventional writers, 3 of whom had learning disabilities. Teachers and children were observed twice a month…

This book serves as a resource for teachers who want to implement a whole language curriculum. More than half of the material in this second edition is new. The first half of the book updates and revises the discussion of the reading process presented in the first edition while retaining the "think-it-through-yourself" format. The…

A study examined the reactions and responses of new and veteran teachers throughout a full semester graduate in-service course which introduced whole language theory through experiential learning. The 30 K-8 teachers in the course came from 7 schools of a large inner-city school district where 70% of the students lived below the poverty level.…

A curriculum designed by the Maury, Tennessee, Literacy Council to address deficiencies in English-language skills is presented. Maury County, Tennessee, is a rural area south of Nashville whose automotive industries and ethnic restaurants have immigrant populations in need of English instruction. A state 353 teacher training grant was obtained to…

Innovative methods and strategies are described for teaching writing to potentially English proficient (PEP) students (also known as "limited English proficient"), who may or may not be literate in their native language, using holistic natural approaches. The approaches are based on the premise that students acquire language (speaking,…

The paper presented at this conference, the theme of which was "Celebrating Literacy," focused on theories and applications of literature-based education and the use of holistic methods across the curriculum. Following an introduction by the editors, the book contains the following 12 papers: "Windows and Mirrors: Children's Books…

A practicum was designed to improve reading comprehension in 50 third-graders over an 8-month period. The practicum's peripheral goal was to improve the efficient use of the microcomputer as a tool to supplement reading comprehension. The program included computer lab experiences to teach keyboarding skills, language arts software use, and the use…

The purpose of this book is to consider early literacy education and whole language from the perspective of constructivist theory (which states that human beings acquire knowledge by building it from the inside in interaction with the environment) and research. More specifically, the book intends to show that the whole language movement is part of…