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[ProfessionalDevelopment 2454] Whole Language, Phonics, Adult Reading Instructiontsticht at znet.com tsticht at znet.comFri Aug 22 14:37:13 EDT 2008
August 22, 2008 Whole Language and Phonics Methods in Adult Reading Instruction Tom Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education Shortly after the turn of the century, Huey (1968/1908) published his classic volume on The Psychology and Pedagogy of Reading. In it he pointed out that "The methods of learning to read that are in common use to-day may be classed as alphabetic, phonic, phonetic, word, sentence, and combination methods." Eight years later, Klapper (1914) published a book in which he presented a classification system for methods of teaching reading. In his system he created two divisions, one for the Synthetic Methods and the other for the Analytic Methods. As Synthetic Methods, Klapper included the Alphabetic, Phonic, and Phonetic methods. In the classification system that Jeanne Chall (1967) developed, these methods would be called those of a "code emphasis" and the contemporary term would be "alphabetics." These methods consider the teaching of reading as essentially a means of "decoding" the written text to recover a spoken message which is then comprehended as usual. In these methods parts of speech sounds are associated with the letters of the alphabet, and then with written syllables and then with words in a synthesis of parts into wholes. As Analytic Methods, Klapper included the Word Basis and Thought Basis. Under the Thought Basis method he included the Sentence Unit and the Story Unit. In Jeanne Challs classification system, the Analytic Methods would be called "meaning emphasis" and the contemporary term would be "whole language." These methods consider the teaching of reading as essentially a means of "meaning making" and consider the written text as a guide for the learner to use in constructing the meaning the author has in mind. The meaning making process serves as an aid to learning to decode the written language in a whole to part analysis process. Throughout the 20th century, both Synthetic and Analytic methods of teaching reading have been favored by different adult literacy educators. Among the major, pioneering, adult literacy educators favoring the Synthetic,"code" , or alphabetics methods are Harriet A. Jacobs (1987/1861), J. Duncan Spaeth (1919) and Frank Laubach (1947, 1960). Those favoring the Analytic, "meaning making " , or whole language methods include Cora Wilson Stewart (1922), Paul Witty (1947,1943), Septima Poinsette Clark (1962,1986), and Ruth Colvin (1992). Interestingly, what might be called an early "mini-war" between a whole language and a phonics advocate took place during World War I. In this "war", Cora Wilson Stewart, who favored whole language (word or sentence) methods provided guidance to J. Duncan Spaeth, an alphabetics devotee, in his preparation of the first edition (1918) of the Camp Reader for American Soldiers. This was a Reader used for teaching illiterate, poorly literate, or non-English speaking soldiers how to read and write English. In this Reader Spaeth acknowledged the contributions of Stewart. Indeed, he followed the example of using sight words at the beginning of a lesson, followed by reading sentences that included the words. This followed the whole language method used by Stewart. But Spaeth deviated from Stewarts strict whole language method and followed the reading of sentences with what he called a "sound drill," a version of phonics in which the sounds of the letters in the words used in the sentences were taught. In his instructions to teachers Spaeth provided just one page of guidance on the word, sentence, and phonics methods. However, in the revised edition (1919) of the Camp Reader, Spaeth dropped acknowledgements of Stewarts contributions and wrote an extensive teachers manual in the first part of the Reader that taught the alphabetics of reading instruction, and he included an appendix on how to teach non-English speakers, too. He then went on to make combined use of whole language and extensive phonics instruction right from the first lesson of the Reader to its end. An interesting joining together of phonics and whole language advocates came about in 2001. That year two of the oldest and largest volunteer literacy organizations in the United States Laubach Literacy International founded by Dr. Frank C. Laubach in 1955, and Literacy Volunteers of America, founded in 1962 by Ruth Colvin- signed a memorandum of understanding that merged the two organizations into one called ProLiteracy Worldwide. Laubach was strongly committed to an a synthetic (phonics, alphabetics) method and indeed he devoted considerable time to developing alphabets for peoples so they could encode their oral language into a written language for communication by writing and reading. Writing in her book entitled A Way With Words (1992), Ruth Colvin said: "LVA is now committed to basing its training on whole language theory, where all parts of language listening, speaking, reading, writing and comprehension are integrated in lessons." (p. 36). Today, ProLiteracy Worldwide provides materials through its New Readers Press that appear on examination to support both phonics and whole language approaches which tutors can use in either separate or integrated methods depending upon the tutors understanding of their learners needs. Very little research has been found bearing on the relative effectiveness of alphabetcs-based versus whole language-based adult literacy education. However, Bowen (1990) presented pre- and post-test data for 23 literacy programs in Illinois in 1988. The programs included four LVA programs, six Laubach Literacy Action programs and 13 "eclectric" programs. The results were comparable for all the programs with no one approach appearing to produce more gain than another. Today, the teaching of adult reading by either the alphabetics or whole language approaches appears to be supported by the differences in professional wisdom of a number of pioneers in the field of adult literacy education. Scientific research to support one or another approach to adult reading instruction has not been found. References Bowren, F. et al. (1990, April). An Evaluation of Reading Gains Within Illinois literacy Projects: FY 88. Illinois: Secretary of State, State Librarian. [see data from this study in Sticht, T. & Armstrong, W. (1994, February). Adult Literacy in the United States: A Compendium of Quantitative Data and Interpretive Comments. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy. Online at http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/adlitUS/adlitus.pdf] Colvin, R. (1992). A Way With Words. Syracuse, NY: Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. Laubach, F. (1947). Teaching the World to Read. NY: Friendship Press. Laubach, F. & Laubach, R. (1960). Toward World Literacy: The Each One Teach One Way. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. Sticht, T. (2005) Seven Pioneering Adult Literacy Educators in the History of Teaching Reading With Adults in the United States. [see this report for the other references included in this note. Online at http://www.nald.ca/library/research/sticht/feb05/seven.pdf] Thomas G. Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education Email: tsticht at aznet.net
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