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Teaching Tips January 1, 2009 |
There are two basic methods for teaching reading and spelling: phonics and whole language. Phonics-based reading and spelling programs are based on the sounds of our language (phonemes) and the different ways those sounds are coded (phonograms). The individual letters of the word are analyzed according to phonics rules.
Whole language reading programs teach the child to look at the whole word in context of the other words in the text and the pictures on the page. Whole-language-based spelling programs train the child to recognize patterns in words and word shapes. Both methods are based on the way children learn. Sequential, concrete learners look at the individual letters in a word to read it and string the letters together to spell the word. Global, random learners do not see the individual letters; they see the whole word as a “chunk” or visual image. What actually happens is that the right side of the brain is trained to recognize certain frequently seen word pictures (shapes of the words). These word shapes are associated with the pictures in the book and the rhyming sounds often used in early reading books. That’s why the whole language approach puts so much emphasis on the “context.” Since the right side of the brain groups words with similar meaning, the child can sometimes substitute a synonym when reading, even when the letters are very different. This is why the whole language approach accepts a child replacing the word “father” in a sentence with “daddy.” As long as the meaning is the same, that’s all that matters. Likewise, as long as the child can “read” a word for its meaning, it doesn’t really matter in the early stages if he can spell the word correctly. The key is meaning, not accurate decoding and encoding. Notice that by emphasizing meaning over decoding, the whole language approach “side-steps” the sequential nature of learning to read. The result? Poor readers and increased “learning disabilities” because the underlying skills are not developed adequately. The child is so used to spelling the word in a way that makes sense to him, that it is hard to break the habit to spell it correctly. In addition, brain research has shown that a person can memorize up to 1500 to 2000 symbols or word pictures. Yet the average number of words used in daily conversation is about 50,000! Recognizing 2000 word pictures works when using early reading books, but when a child has to be able to read to learn (as in a textbook) or spell, he needs anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 words. Obviously, this puts the student at a distinct disadvantage once the memory banks have “maxed out.” Students who use a whole language approach can only try to memorize new words by forgetting previously learned words. That’s why their reading and spelling can be so inconsistent. They don’t know how to decipher unfamiliar words because the decoding stage was “side-stepped” and they never learned “word attack” skills in a systematic way. Global students, especially, can use a whole language approach even when they are taught phonics. Since the brain tends to favor the quickest and easiest route to training, you must stay on guard. Global students need lots of drill in the sequential skills to keep the activity focused on the correct area of the brain. The key is to keep these drills short, interesting, and frequent. One of the arguments for the whole language approach is that so many children struggle with phonics instruction and find it boring. They contend that more and more young children are using the whole language approach naturally – even when they have had no specific reading instruction. However, research studies have since found that the types of pre-reading books available on the market today accentuate whole language connections. Fast-paced television and video games over-develop visual skills centered in the right side of the brain, and fail to develop the necessary concentration skills needed for drill and learning. Millions of children are being “pre-disposed” to whole language and attention problems without even realizing it. Learning to read is a sequential skill, as is counting and learning the fact families. We can try to hide that fact by changing the way we teach reading and arithmetic, but the skills themselves are sequential. Sooner or later, the student will encounter problems if the skills have not been taught adequately. The response is not to change the method, but adjust how quickly the program moves based on the child’s learning style. Supplemental activities may be included to give the child the type of practice needed that will cement learning. KEY WORDS: phonic, whole, language, reading |
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