Putting the Student and Teacher at the Center of Reading Instruction
Take a moment and look at the chart below and ask yourself, “As a teacher and/or parent which of these two approaches to learning to read would I want for my students/children?”
Contrasting Approaches to Reading Instruction
1 | 2 | |
Instructional Material | Self-selected multicultural literature | Prescribed reading material |
Instructional Approach | Teaching for individual strengths & needs | One-size-fits all reading programs |
Assessment of Performance | Authentic, teacher based assessment | High stakes standardized testing |
Curriculum Design | Collaborative student-centered curriculum | Standards-based curriculum |
Teacher Role in Instruction | Teacher as reflective practitioner | Mandated instruction |
Purpose of Instruction | Achieving social justice and equity | Achieving global competitiveness |
I think most of us would select #1. The first choice seems more student friendly, includes a wider variety of reading materials and empowers teachers to make instructional decisions based on the needs of the children in the seats in front of them.
Now let me label the two approaches to reading instruction.
Whole Language | Corporate Education “Reform” | |
Instructional Material | Self-selected multicultural literature | Prescribed reading material |
Instructional Approach | Teaching for individual strengths & needs | One-size-fits all reading programs |
Assessment of Performance | Authentic, teacher based assessment | High stakes standardized testing |
Curriculum Design | Collaborative student-centered curriculum | Standards-based curriculum |
Teacher Role in Instruction | Teacher as reflective practitioner | Mandated instruction |
Purpose of Instruction | Achieving social justice and equity | Achieving global competitiveness |
You might be thinking, “Wait a minute you fooled me. Isn’t whole language a discredited approach to teaching reading?” In many ways you would be right. Whole language approaches to teaching reading have been under attack almost from the moment they became prominent as a way of teaching in the 1980s. The reason whole language was discredited makes for compelling reading on its own.
Garn Press under the leadership of literacy researcher and family literacy Russ on Reading: Putting the Student and Teacher at the Center of Reading Instruction:
