The Whole Language Approach
指導老師：陳怡真老師
報告學生：陳慧齡
班級：專四技應英四甲
學號：897c0001
Background
Created in the 1980s
Often term to teaching of lieracy
Whole language v.s Phonics
Whole language v.s Phonic
WL:
language should be
taught as a “whole”
focus on meaning and
strategy instruction
learning to read and
write naturally
real communication
Phonics
how to connect the
sounds of spoken
Englishwith letters or
groups of letters
emphasize instruction
for decoding and spelling
Background
1990s－popularity as a motivating and
innovative way of teaching language arts
skills.
~“ If language isn’t kept whole, it isn’t
language anymore” ~
by Rigg 1991:521
Approach: theory of language
Views language organization from an
interactional perspective.
Authenticity
Engagement with the authors of written texts
Conversation
Example: “Apologizing
”
Approach: theory of language
Psycholinguistically - as a vehicle for:
Internal “interaction”
Egocentric speech
Thinking
What makes language very
easy or very hard to learn?
It’s easy when:
real & natural
whole pieces
sensible
interesting
relevant
belongs to the learner
part f a real event
has a purpose for the
learner
social utility value
the learner chooses
to use it
accessible to the
learner
the learner has power
to use it
It’s hard when:
artificial
broken into bits
and pieces
nonsense
dull and uninteresting
irrelevant
belongs to somebody
else
out of the content
no social value
no discernible purpose
imposed by someone
else
inaccessible
the learner is powerless
Approach: the learning theory
Humanistic
Authentic
Personalized
Self-directed
Collaborative
Pluralistic
Constructivist
Knowledge is
socially constructed,
rather than received or
discovered
Create meaning
Learn by doing
Work collaboratively
Approach: the learning theory
Teachers
Works with student to create knowledge and
understanding in their mutual social content.
Do not focus on “cover the curriculum”.
Focus on learners’ :
Needs
Experiences
Interests
Aspirations
Design: Objectives, syllabus, learning activities,
roles of learners, teachers and materials
Principles underlying the Design of WL:
Use of authentic literature
Focus on real and natural events
Reading of real texts of high interest
Reading for the sake of comprehension
and real purpose
Writing for a real audience
Writing as a process through which
learners explore and discover meaning
Design: Objectives, syllabus, learning activities,
roles of learners, teachers and materials
Principles underlying the Design of WL:
Use of student-produced texts
Integration of reading, writing and other skills
Student centered learning
Reading and writing in partnership
Encouragement of risk taking, exploration and
acceptance of errors
Design: Objectives, syllabus, learning activities,
roles of learners, teachers and materials
The Teacher
Facilitator
Teaches students and not
subject matter.
Looks for occurrence of
teachable moments
Creates a climate that
supports collaborative
learning
The Learner
Collaborator
Evaluator
Self-directed
Selector of materials and
activities
Design: Objectives, syllabus, learning activities,
roles of learners, teachers and materials
The Material
＊ “Real- World” rather than “Commercial Texts”
＊ to communicate with the reader
Newspapers
Signs
Storybooks
Handbills
Workplace handouts
Students produce their own materials
Design: Objectives, syllabus, learning activities,
roles of learners, teachers and materials
Classroom features:
The use of literature
The use of process
writing
Encouragement of
cooperative learning
among students
Concern for students’
attitude
Activities:
Individual and small
group reading and writing
Ungraded dialogue
journals
Writing portfolios
Writing conferences
Student-made books
Story writing
Conclusions
The Whole Language movement is not a
teaching method but an approach to
learning that sees language as the whole
entity.
Advantages
Focuses on experience and activities.
Authentic materials, more joyful and
interesting.
Facilitate language learning.
Particularly useful for the younger learners
in ESL environments.
Disadvantages
Anti-direct teaching, anti-skills, and antimaterials.
Ignore spellings and pronounces.
Curriculum Failure.
Ways of Evaluation.