Re: CHAT: learning to read

edheil@postmark.net writes:
>A major alternative system is the "Whole Language Method," in which
>language use is made as relevant and important to the child as
>possible, but there is very little explicit instruction as to how to
>read: the children are supposed to just pick it up for themselves, but
>the teacher's job is to create a system where they are extremely
>motivated to do so: for example, the children will spend a lot of time
>telling stories to the teacher which the teacher will write down and
>have them copy for themselves -- so they are exposed to words that
>they care a lot about; their own words.
Well, i grew up learning through the phonics system. Anyway, a recent
tutoring job i did as a part of class at my University involved helping
third and fourth graders improve their reading skills. The way we were
supposed to do it was to use something like the  whole language system. We
would have them try to read the story, and if they stumbled upon a word,
we were supposed to ask them "What word do you think would fit here
best?". I really disliked that method, so i would use phonics and then
read the word.


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                    "Bailando en el fuego con un gran deseo" - India

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