Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 8, 1992 TAG: 9202100197
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
WHOLE LANGUAGE IS MEANING-CENTERED
WHOLE LANGUAGE is not a method of teaching reading. It is an educational philosophy. It has been around for many years, yet it was never under the guises of Look-Say, or Look and Guess. It is a philosophy of holistic teaching where the learner is immersed in an integrated curriculum.Betty G. Price (commentary, Jan. 24) is correct that in a whole-language classroom the learner is inventing and reinventing knowledge: After all, that is what learning is. We take new information and apply it to what we already know to create (or reinvent) meaning.
Whole language is meaning-centered. It assumes that people read and write to express meaning. Yet when it is used in isolation, comprehension is often lost. If comprehension is lost, what is the purpose of reading?
I wonder how Ms. Price would respond to a 1-year-old who requested a glass of water with "wawa." If she responded according to her philosophy of reading, she would not reward this child's utterances with a glass of water. She would wait until the child could speak correct grammar in complete sentences.
In a whole-language classroom, teachers and students celebrate new approximations of conventional reading and writing. In the process of engaging students in meaningful reading and writing, the conventional is taught without losing the meaning. It is also important to note that phonics instruction is one part of whole-language instruction.
Ms. Price was correct that whole-language teachers are free to develop their own language-arts and reading curriculum. She felt that was a negative aspect. However, as a whole-language teacher, I reflect and observe my students. I adjust my teaching to individual needs. A basal curriculum does not allow me to make those adjustments. The end result is people who can read, but who choose not to. KAREN McLEOD BLACKSBURG
***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on Feb. 11, 1992
CLARIFICATION A sentence was inadvertently dropped from one paragraph of the letter by Karen McLeod on Feb. 8. The paragraph should have read: Whole-language is meaning-centered. It assumes that people read and write to express meaning. Phonics is one of many tools to help the reader decode words. Yet, when it is used in isolation, comprehension is often lost. If comprehension is lost, what is the purpose of reading?
Memo: CORRECTION