‘Why don’t you read a Book?’
Said every parent to their child, after watching them lounge for hours on end in front of the television!
Truth be told, the act of Reading has profound benefits for children, not least of which can be seen in the Whole Language Approach to education. In case you are hearing the term for the very first time, don’t worry. By the end of this article, you will have learned all there is for you to know about the whole language approach.
We at EuroKids have compiled some pertinent information related to the whole language learning approach. This includes a look at the advantages of the whole language approach, and even an introduction to some cool whole language approach activities! As an interesting bit of trivia, we will also uncover the answer to the question: ‘How many languages are there in the whole world?’
Ready to get started, and see what all the fuss about the whole language approach is about? Begin, with a closer look at the characteristics of the whole language approach!
Table of Contents
- Characteristics of the Whole Language Approach
- Whole Language Example
- Advantages of the Whole Language Approach
- Whole Language Approach Activities
Characteristics of the Whole Language Approach
The Whole Language Approach, simply put, is a methodology that places great emphasis on the importance of language as a ‘whole’ entity, instead of breaking it down into isolated skills like phonics and grammar.
In a nutshell, the whole language approach has its roots firmly entrenched in the belief that language is acquired naturally through exposure to language experiences that have ’meaning’. This, as opposed to the traditional ‘phonics-based approach’, that sees students decode words through the process of recognizing letter-sound relationships.
That being said, the following are some of the key characteristics of the whole language approach.
- Language as a Whole
- Finding Meaning
- The Holistic Integration of Key Skills
This is where that ‘reading’ we talked about in the introduction, makes its presence felt. Language here is seen as an ‘integrated’ system that, apart from reading, includes other key skills such as ‘writing’ and ‘listening.’
In this method of learning, students are encouraged to think in ‘critical’ fashion and interpret texts on their own, in an attempt to develop their reading comprehension skills.
The beauty of the whole language approach lies in the fact that it recognizes that the aforementioned skills like reading and listening are ‘interconnected’, and as such should be taught ‘as a whole’.
Oh, and here’s that interesting bit of trivia we spoke of earlier. One might ask, How many languages are there in the whole world?
The answer is, a whopping 7000!
Whole Language Example
The following is a classic whole language example.
- In the beginning, kids will ‘listen’ to the word ‘cat’.
- Following that, they will ‘learn’ to speak the word ‘cat’.
- Finally, they will ‘comprehend the meaning’ of the word ‘cat’ in a sentence!
Advantages of the Whole Language Approach
There’s certainly far more than meets the eye, where it comes to the whole language approach. Presenting the advantages of the whole language approach, that make it stand out as one of the preferred methods of learning!
- It helps promote the love for Reading
- Cool Fact:The Whole Language Approach
- It helps expand their Creativity
- They learn with Understanding
In today’s world, the mere act of reading is viewed by many children as a chore!
Ensures that kids foster not only the love for reading, but a deeper understanding of literature,too. It helps them view it as a ‘hobby’, rather than a ‘task’ that has to be undertaken.
One of the greatest blessings of the whole language approach, lies in the fact that kids are not ‘intimidated’ into having to learn things like ‘lists of sounds’. This only serves to boost their creativity, as they come to view the texts they read with a sense of ‘intuition’.
The whole language approach does a stellar job of getting children to find ‘meaning’ in what they read or write.
Whole Language Approach Activities
The following whole language approach activities are great where it comes to cultivating a language-rich environment for our kids to thrive in.
- Reading Meaningful Texts
- Constructive Feedback
- Projects and Debates
The onus is on you as a parent, to find some meaningful texts for your children to read. Furthermore, those texts must be aligned with their interests and reading levels.
You want to give your children some vital feedback vis a vis their literacy skills. This will go a long way in helping improve their reading comprehension, and even, writing skills.
Needless to say, the real ‘proof’ of the whole language approach, lies in its implementation. The need of the hour is getting kids to engage in things like debates and projects, that help them fully integrate their reading, writing and listening skills.
At EuroKids we believe that if students imbibe the Whole Language Approach methodology, they can go on to garner a deeper understanding of the English language. Go on then, and get your child something meaningful to read today. It might just mark their first foray into the world of whole language learning!
