by Joseph Zavarella

Created on: December 24, 2007

Phonics is a study of the component parts of words and the sounds made by letters in combination with one another. Hence, sounding out the words as the student speaks by remembering the sounds made when letters are in certain positions is a phonetic approach to learning how to read. The component parts of the word then become the important focus of the approach. Likewise, phrases, sentence structure and paragraph construction are studied as component parts of the language and learning to read, write, and effectively communicate orally are accomplished in this manner.

The whole language approach does not seek to study the component parts of words; instead the whole word is viewed, voiced and remembered in the context of its usage. Meaning is derived as the student remembers how the words are used in various contexts. In this same manner language is studied as a whole without breaking things up into their respective component parts and the student learns how to read, write and communicate orally by remembering how things appear in context. It can be argued that both approaches may be effective when learning how to read, but trying to determine which approach is better becomes the issue.

Conflict Between Old and New

The above simplified description of the two approaches forms the basis for much conflict among educators who like to put themselves into the categories of traditional and new. Invariably this usually becomes a conflict between old fashioned and more modern techniques for teaching. Phonics is the old and tried method for teaching many generations of children how to read and speak the language. Whole language is the new method which, based upon the logic presented by its proponents, does not necessitate the breaking down of words because the students will remember them each time they see them in context and understand what they mean. In addition, the whole language enthusiasts say that the phonics approach involves concepts that are too abstract for kindergartners through third graders to comprehend.

Those who espouse the phonics approach counter that argument by saying that phonics gives the student a tool to decipher unfamiliar words and derive meaning in their context. Whole language students do not have the tools necessary to decode the words because they have not learned the words by their component parts as the phonics students have.

The whole language enthusiasts say that students don't actually pause at unfamiliar words in order to decipher them.

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