Tina,

You have hit on the core of the matter. Its all about what the student needs
to be successful. Matters not what label we put on it. Both have value, both
are useful if we determine the right fit for our students.


Alan Toops
Executive Director
Ohio Literacy Network
(614) 505-0717
atoops at ohioliteracynetwork.org
http://www.ohioliteracynetwork.org




On 2/7/07 7:48 PM, "Tina_Luffman at yc.edu" <Tina_Luffman at yc.edu> wrote:


> Marie,

>  

> In college I did research into whole language versus phonics for Reading

> acquisition in elementary schools. The reason for my interest in this research

> was watching my older two children learn how to read well with a more

> phonics-based program. When my younger two children entered elementary school,

> the district switched to whole language. When I visited their classrooms, the

> teacher stood in front of the room with a large book and had the children

> "read" along with the text of a book they had memorized. I had a fit. These

> kids had no idea what the words said on that book. By the time these kids got

> to second grade, the teachers were similarly having a fit wondering why many

> of their second graders could barely read. My son, unfortunately,was one of

> them, and the only reading he could do was from a one month summer school

> program he went to that was phonics-based. His sister did not read as well as

> her older siblings, either.

>  

> In my research I did learn that some children do learn better with whole

> language, and that whole language does seem to create faster reading

> comprehension rates. Other children tend to learn best with phonetic decoding

> skills, learning the sounds of the letters, and then building words from that.

> Phonics, however, does tend to create slower readers, according to the whole

> language information I had read.

>  

> I do not know if this resesarch is valid in adult education; however, I am

> personally biased toward phonics-based reading methods, yet I do not rule out

> entirely the value of some whole language. I am interested in learning what

> STAR has to offer. I do not discount what Tom is saying because he has been

> around long enough, as have many of the rest of the NIFL list practitioners,

> to have seen many programs come and go. I am new enough to Adult Education to

> be willing to give this new program a chance.

>  

> Tina

> 

> 

> 

> 

> Tina Luffman

> Coordinator, Developmental Education

> Verde Valley Campus

> 928-634-6544

> tina_luffman at yc.edu

> =

> 

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