Editing Whole language (section)

==Overview==
Whole language is an educational philosophy that is complex to describe, particularly because it is informed by multiple research fields, including but not limited to education, linguistics, psychology, sociology, and anthropology (see also [[Language Experience Approach]]). It can be viewed as being founded on the educational philosophy of [[John Amos Comenius]] in the early 17th century.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Stahl|first1=Katherine A. Dougherty|title=Reading Research at Work: Foundations of Effective Practice|last2=McKenna|first2=Michael C.|date=2006|publisher=Guilford Press|isbn=1-59385-299-1|location=New York|pages=6}}</ref> Yetta Goodman has also cited the contributions of Dewey, [[Lev Vygotsky|Vygotsky]], Rosenblatt, and Ashton Warner, among other writers, in the development of the whole language movement.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Peltzman|first=Barbara Ruth|title=Reading Instruction in America|year=2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-2013-8|location=Jefferson, NC|pages=193}}</ref> One description of whole language is "a concept that embodies both a philosophy of language development as well as the instructional approaches embedded within, and supportive of that philosophy".<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Wood|first1=Karen D.|title=Literacy Instruction for Adolescents: Research-Based Practice|last2=Blanton|first2=William E.|date=2009|publisher=Guilford Press|isbn=978-1-60623-381-8|location=New York|pages=146}}</ref>

Several strands run through descriptions of whole language. These include:
* focus on making meaning in reading and expressing meaning in writing;<ref>{{Cite book|last=Edelsky|first=Carole|title=With Literacy and Justice for All: Rethinking the Social in Language and Education, Third Edition|date=2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0805855076|location=Oxon|pages=171}}</ref>
* [[Constructivism (learning theory)|constructivist]] approaches to knowledge creation, emphasizing students' interpretations of texts and free expression of ideas in writing (often through daily journal entries);<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Martin|first1=David Jerner|title=Building Teachers: A Constructivist Approach to Introducing Education|last2=Loomis|first2=Kimberly S.|date=2013|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1-133-94306-8|location=Belmont, CA|pages=380}}</ref>
* emphasis on high-quality and culturally diverse literature;<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mocombe|first=Paul C.|title=Mind, Body, and Consciousness in Society: Thinking Vygotsky via Chomsky|date=2018|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=978-1-5275-2401-9|location=Newcastle upon Tyne|pages=138}}</ref>
* integrating literacy into other areas of the curriculum, especially math, science, and social studies;
* frequent reading;
** with students in small [[guided reading]] groups
** to students with [[read aloud|read-alouds]]
** by students independently;
* reading and writing for real purposes;
* focus on motivational aspects of literacy, emphasizing the love of books and engaging reading materials;
* meaning-centered whole– to part-to-whole instruction where phonics are taught contextually in embedded phonics<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Lewis|first1=Maureen|title=Phonics: Practice, Research and Policy|last2=Ellis|first2=Sue|date=2006|publisher=Sage|isbn=978-1-4129-3085-7|location=Thousand Oaks, CA|pages=58}}</ref> (different from [[synthetic phonics]] or [[analytical phonics]]);
* emphasis on using and understanding the meaning-making role of phonics, grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation in diverse social contexts.

Attempts to empirically verify the benefits of whole language have repeatedly resulted in evidence that whole language is less effective than phonics-based reading instruction. Research psychologist [[Keith Stanovich]] has asserted, "The idea that learning to read is just like learning to speak is accepted by no responsible linguist, psychologist, or cognitive scientist in the research community",<ref name="Stanovich" /> while in a systematic review of the reading research literature, Louisa Moats, a researcher on children's education, concluded that "Almost every premise advanced by whole language about how reading is learned has been contradicted by scientific investigations".<ref name="LDOnline" /> Harvard professor [[Jeanne Chall]] surveyed the research on literacy and conducted her own classroom observations and found that the "code-emphasis method" (phonics) produces substantially better readers, not only in the mechanical aspects of reading but also in terms of reading for meaning and reading for enjoyment, contrary to the claims of whole-language theorists.<ref name="Moore" />