Whole language, also known as the socio-psycholinguistic theory, is a student-centered

approach to teaching reading. Whole language teaches reading with an emphasis on

how people learn, comprehend, read, and speak language, basically, the process of

reading and the construction of meaning from what is being read. In the online article

“What is the “Whole Language” Approach to Teaching Reading?” Dr. Monica

Bomengen states, “Whole language approach” is a method of teaching children to read

by recognizing words as whole pieces of language. Proponents of the whole language

philosophy believe that language should not be broken down into letters and

combinations of letters and “decoded.” Instead, they believe that language is a complete

system of making meaning, with words functioning in relation to each other in context.”

This approach to teaching reading takes an inductive stance, teachers using this

approach are not preoccupied with spelling and grammar; teachers know these things

will come with greater comprehension of...

Pros
Whole language encourages teachers to find
reading material that reflects a student’s
language and culture (Curtis,n.d., para. 5).
Whole language helps provide a better
understanding of the text (Curtis, n.d., para. 5).
Whole language provides a more interesting
and creative approach to reading (Curtis, n.d.,
para. 5).
Cons
There is a lack of structure in lessons and
activities (Reyner, 2008, para. 8).
There is a heavy burden on teachers to develop
their own curriculum (Reyner, 2008, para. 8).
Learning may come at the expense of accuracy
and correctness because students are guessing
when they don’t know a word (Curtis, n.d.,
para. 5).