by Rea Papakonstantopoulos

Created on: May 21, 2009   Last Updated: May 28, 2009

A Call for Fluid Balanced Literacy

Balanced literacy is clearly emerging as a method of instruction favored by many educators across the nation. Just exactly what is meant by balanced literacy, however, is not quite as apparent. Educational researchers, school district administrators, and even classroom teachers often emphasize different components of literacy instruction as they work to clarify what "balanced" means in the context of their larger literacy programs. The exact nature of balanced literacy is further muddled when one examines the research literature. According to Freppon & Dahl (1998), this has much to do with the way scholars use literacy research to define the term:

Specific versions of balanced instruction are described in books in which the authors cite various supportive bodies of research. Some authors draw on the same studies and interpret the implications for classroom practice differently. Other authors draw on different or additional bodies of research, and, thus, present contrasting descriptions of balanced instruction (p. 240).

Although comprehensive balanced literacy programs encompass more components than those centered on reading instruction (i.e. balanced literacy also addresses writing, listening, and speaking in addition to other areas of literacy), the emergence of such programs resulted in part from the long-standing debate between phonics and whole language advocates. While there was certainly a diversity of opinion within both camps, the general debate played out as the building with skills from the bottom up camp (phonics) versus the holistic immersion into language experiences camp (whole language). Both sides were backed by established research on literacy learning. For the most part, phonics stressed letter-sound correspondence, word study, and decoding in teaching literacy, while whole language advocated for holistic experiences in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

To a certain degree, balanced literacy emerged as a result of the notion that the sum of a hybrid phonics and whole language approach would likely make a greater impact on students' literacy learning than either single approach could by itself. As such, balanced literacy employs fundamental elements from the phonics and whole language approaches to create one integrated model that addresses all facets of literacy teaching and learning.

With respect to the reading portion of balanced literacy, multiple models exist; however, different models

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