Phonics vs. Whole-Language

It is always interesting to learn how different people learned to read and write. Some were read to as children, some read all the time themselves as children, some learned to take sentences out of books and write them down, etc. I took part in all of the above, and I know that I was taught with the phonics approach; I was not familiar with the whole-language approach until reading this chapter. I believe the phonics approach is successful in education. I personally enjoyed learning about consonants, vowels, syllables, etc. when I was younger, and I think it really helped me become a better reader and speaker. I remember learning rules as a youngster, such as “I comes before E except after C,” and they really did stick with me through my years of education. Also, I remember in first grade when my teacher was teaching us syllables and compound words. She would stick her right hand out and say “basket,” then she would stick her left hand out and say “ball,” and then she would clap her hands together and say “basketball.” The whole class would then join in. Without phonics instruction, I don’t think there’s any way for children to learn to read on their own. They need to learn the “decoding” skills.

There are some aspects I agree with concerning the whole-language approach and some aspects that I don’t agree with. I don’t agree with the fact that this approach does not stress correct spelling and error correction. I think those two things are essential in writing instruction. What is “inventive spelling?” I don’t even see how that could be beneficial, and I definitely agree with the phonics proponents that this type of activity is “an abandonment of valuable emphasis on correctness and thus an enabler of the further decline of educational standards” (157). I do, on the other hand, agree with whole-language proponents that individual words cannot “be derived simply on the basis of spelling-to-sound correspondences” (157). Meaning of individual words also depends on syntax and context; a lot of times you must apply knowledge of the world. This idea goes along with the example given on page 157 where the word “house” has three different meanings. I’m not sure how I feel about children reading aloud in class and being corrected by the teacher on pronunciations as they read. It never really bothered me when a teacher would do that to me because I was just thankful I didn’t have to sit there and figure out how to pronounce the word. Although, I do think it does interfere with comprehension. I remember many times when a “weak” reader was reading aloud in class and stumbling on almost every word as the rest of the class was following along, it was very difficult for me to comprehend what was being read when the teacher kept correcting pronunciation and errors. I would say I agree with the whole-language supporters that there is no need to correct miscues if they preserve the meaning of what is being read. Therefore, I believe it is okay if a child makes an irregular verb a regular verb in his or her speech because you still understand what is being said. Skills like knowing what verbs are regular and irregular come with being immersed in language, hearing other people say it. Like many other issues in education, I do not think there is a right answer here. One approach is not better than the other, and they each have their pros and cons. I don’t see why it is so hard for people to use aspects and ideas of each approach and say they both work.

As far as the connections between reading skill and writing proficiency go, I liked the last two sentences on page 166—“Teachers should encourage students to read and should help them discover the joy in reading and acquiring knowledge through reading, but it is a mistake to assume that in so doing they are directly helping students become better writers. Students will always need significant practice and instruction in writing if they are going to become proficient.” Reading does not make you a better writer. Just because you can read and comprehend a 500 page book does not mean that you can pick up a pencil and write a masterpiece essay. Writing instruction is prominent. Even though all of us in this class have written many, many papers throughout our whole education does not mean we can go into a classroom and teach writing; we need a course on how to teach writing. If you want your students to write an essay on a text that was read in class, you cannot just expect them to read it and then magically produce a successful essay; you need to give your students a model, as mentioned on page 168. They cannot write the essay without some form of writing instruction.