Whole Language Approaches

Gillam describes how shifting to a whole language approach to intervention required him to look at his clinical practices differently (Gillam, 1995, p. 220)

  1. I stopped looking only for disabilities and started looking more closely for abilities.
  2. I became less interested in subskill testing and teaching and more interested in real communication.
  3. I stopped writing specific behavioral objectives and started writing broad learning goals.
  4. My language intervention became less of a direct instruction process and more of an opportunity for discovery.
  5. I trusted that children with special language and learning needs could become learners…
  6. I trusted myself to put students ahead of lesson plans and mastery criteria.
  7. I believed I could make a difference by mediating between context, meaning, and form as they operated freely in a variety of communication systems (reading, writing, art, drama, etc.).

Whole Language Web Sites

http://www.ncte.org/wlu/

http://www.heinemann.com/info/08894f6.html

http://www.usc.edu/dept/education/CMMR/text/Krashen_WholeLang.html

References

Gillam, R. (1995). Whole language principles at work in language intervention. In D. F. Tibbits (Ed.), Language intervention beyond the primary grades (pp. 219-255). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

Gillam, R., McFadden, T., & van Kleek, A. (1995). Improving narrative abilities: Whole language and language skills approaches. In M. Fey & J. Windsor & S. Warren (Eds.), Language intervention: Preschool through the elementary years (Vol. 5). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Goodman, K. S., Goodman, Y. M., & Hood, W. J. (1989). The whole language evaluation book. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books, Inc.

Norris, J. & Damico, J. (1990). Whole language in theory and practice: Implications for language intervention. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 21, 212-220.

Norris, J. (1993). Some questions and answers about whole language. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1(4), 11-14.

Norris, J., & Hoffman, P. (1993). Whole language intervention for school age children. San Diego: CA: Singular Publishing Group.

Westby, C., & Costlow, L. (1991). Implementing a whole language program in a special education class. Topics in Language Disorders, 11(3), 69-84.