Just the other day I heard a teacher exclaim, “No one seems
to know how to teach reading these days!” Parents are demanding
a return to the teaching of reading by phonics, while school
board trustees and administrators claim their whole language
reading programs are effective. Teachers are often confused
and kids are stuck in the middle.
A child first hears language by listening to his/her parents.
All the language children learn at first is through their ears.
They hear sounds, learn to distinguish the differences between
these sounds, then learn to blend these diverse sounds together.
Once that skill is mastered, children begin to understand what
the individually blended sounds (words) stand for, and how to
form new language concepts.
The next step seems logical. If a child can speak, then (s)he
already understands all the concepts of language implicitly.
If they can speak in clear sentences, they already have comprehension!
Our task should be to teach them how to access the incredible
amount of stored knowledge and literature humankind possesses.
How? We teach children to understand the code or script used
to write our language. The building blocks of reading are letters
and there are only 26 of them. All words flow from these basic
26 units. If for no other reason than it is logical and rational,
we should consider using only phonics-first reading programs
for our children. It is empowering and important for the development
of their self-esteem.
But there is more! Much more. When we throw away phonics as
the first and primary method of reading and switch to the whole
word (whole language) method, we are telling our kids something
that isn’t true. We are saying that there is no code; that
there is no order to the development of language. We are saying
that words, NOT letters, are the blocks of language. But, you
make words from letters; you don’t make new words by two
or three other words together. Words are NOT the blocks of the
language - letters are! However, that’s not what we tell
our kids. By depriving them of the understanding that letters,
not words, are the blocks of the language, we are making reading
incoherent! It can’t be understood; there is no pattern.
It can just be memorized. Can you imagine having to memorize
BY SIGHT every single word in the English language? Well that’s
what we condemn kids to do when we teach them whole words not
letters.
This causes another problem. The problem of thinking. If we
begin by the whole word method, we encourage and reward memorization
and estimation. If you don’t know the word, guess. By allowing
students to think that guessing is okay, we are pretending that
words don’t have specific meanings. Wrong! Every word stands
for one, and only one specific concept.
It is not true that any old meaning will do. It is not true;
and to imply it is fair is not to the student. It says that
accuracy is not important (but it is) and that fuzzy or ‘sort
of ‘ thinking is all right (but it isn’t).
Then what happens? Students who can’t use language correctly,
do not learn to think critically or to problem-solve well. They
don’t take academic risks, and they need structured programs
and lots of help and guidance - all of which impede the development
of real self-esteem. They don’t ‘get it’, don’t
make the connections, or see the relationships. They are disorganized,
not motivated, sometimes confused, angry, or defensive. They
are not achieving their potential! They haven’t learned
how to think critically.
The problem begins when we cast the first seeds of doubt in
the pristine minds of our children. A child who has learned
to speak already knows implicitly the importance of precision.
Watch kids play and you’ll observe how carefully they keep
each other accurate. Understanding even a single word means
that a child understands the difference between the meaning
of that word and any others. This is a major issue!
Children insist on clarity, honesty, and integrity in their
dealings with the world. Children work diligently to understand.
They do not leap forward carelessly. They study, watch, try,
and learn. When they feel they are right, they internalize their
discoveries and move forward to new ones. If we tell the child
to ignore all that (s)he already knows about how to learn; if
we say accuracy isn’t important and that our written language
doesn’t have a code*, we are saying that the child has
been using his/her mind WRONG. The truth they figured out for
themselves can’t be trusted; and that they really don’t
know how to use their own minds; that they are wrong for life!
If one thinks of the amount of struggle an adult goes through
in order to understand the why’s and how’s of his/her
life, and then considers that this same struggle is occurring
daily in the hearts and minds of our children, one might begin
to see why it is so important for them to feel that they are
capable of understanding. Their very survival depends upon it.
But our reading programs pull the rug out from under our children.
We discount the achievement of their minds and the confidence
and pride they have developed as a result of that great achievement.
In fact, what a child accomplishes in learning to speak is probably
the greatest achievement of his/her life. It is certainly the
hardest. Instead of celebrating this great achievement - that
required precision, logic and understanding - we tell them to
memorize and trust. We drive a spear into the very soul of their
self-confidence and feelings of self-esteem. It is no wonder
that they prefer to memorize and live in a structured universe!
If their own minds are not safe or competent, then the only
other option is trust and follow.
But it’s just a reading program you say! And teachers love
kids and want to help them. And school boards don’t want
to cause problems; they want to educate kids as effectively
as possible. Yes, all that may be true, but it doesn’t
change the facts. All the good intentions in the world will
not change the principles of a bad program and will not lessen
the severity of its effects. Whole word, or whole language,
reading programs are not teaching our kids to read well and
are a major part of the reason why students are not thinking
more clearly and effectively.
We have known how to teach kids to read for centuries. Modern
teaching methodology has produced more creative and effective
teachers. Let’s use these strengths to marry excellent
teachers with effective programs. It’s time to call it
a bad bargain and say goodbye to whole language.
* some schools forbid teachers from telling kids that words
are made up of letters which have specific sounds - it’s
a secret
Article
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