The Balanced Literacy Diet: Using a food pyramid concept to cut through the great debate over phonics vs. whole language

School Administrator, Jan, 2002 by Dale Willows

For decades, educators have been looking for the "best method" for teaching reading and writing. With such a method, they believe, teachers will simply deliver the program and the problems of literacy education will be solved.

However, training teachers to implement instructional methods when they don't truly understand the underlying rationale is futile. Without understanding, teachers do not have the knowledge to adapt an instructional strategy to address various student needs. Without understanding, teachers become cogs in a machine, with neither the responsibility nor the rewards of being in control. Without understanding, teachers can become inflexible and dogmatic, unable to integrate new research-supported practices into existing approaches.

Most teachers are motivated to do their best in teaching students to read and write. Many recognize their lack of understanding about literacy education and would like to learn more. In a large-scale survey of new teachers in the United States, more than 80 percent say they are not adequately prepared to teach reading and writing. Even teachers with years of experience feel inadequate in trying to meet the needs of all their students.

Clear Direction

Elementary school teachers want to know the most effective ways of teaching their students to read and write. But what do they need to know?

The best methods for teaching elementary school children now are fairly well understood and are reflected in two major research reviews produced by independent groups of theoreticians and practitioners.

"Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children," published in 1998, and "Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read," published in 2000, conclude that effective literacy programs include balanced and motivating instruction in the following key components: phonemic awareness; systematic, sequential phonics; fluent, automatic reading of text; vocabulary development; text comprehension strategies; spelling and handwriting; and written composition strategies.

Another clear theme in both reports is that educators must understand when and how to implement these components to provide effective literacy instruction. Thus, both reports strongly recommend that the research should guide preservice and in-service teacher education.

Although most teachers have a general knowledge of the components of effective literacy programs, many have not grasped key concepts well enough to implement them effectively in their classrooms. As explained in the American Federation of Teachers' report, "Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science," what may on the surface seem relatively simple turns out to be complex. Therefore, professional development focused on these concepts is essential.

Whereas, in the past, beginning reading and writing instruction vacillated between phonics and whole language approaches largely based on the beliefs of educators and the pronouncements of gurus, the findings of the Committee for the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children and the National Reading Panel provide clear direction concerning how reading and writing should be taught in the early years.

The evidence is now in: The most effective approaches involve phonemic awareness training and systematic, sequential phonics instruction in kindergarten and 1st grade. However, effective ways exist to teach these components, and the findings should not be interpreted as a signal to return to the old phonics approaches of 20 to 30 years ago.

Some recently developed teaching strategies are more consistent with current views of how children learn. Both teachers and students find the newer approaches more stimulating and creative than the old-fashioned ones involving drill and worksheets.

As well, it is important to underscore the place of phonics in a beginning literacy program. Systematic phonics instruction by itself does not help students acquire all the processes they need to become successful readers and writers. It needs to be combined with other essential instructional components to create a complete and balanced program.

By emphasizing all of the processes that contribute to literacy growth, teachers will have the best chance of making their students readers and writers. A number of excellent sources such as "Every Child Reading: A Professional Development Guide" can help school administrators put these research findings into practice through professional development. (See resource list, page 10.)

Theory into Practice

Five years ago, administrators in the Bluewater School District in Ontario, Canada, were concerned about the low literacy levels of many students. They launched an initiative to raise reading and writing achievement levels across the entire school district through staff development.

The launching of a literacy initiative in Bluewater coincided not only with significant advances concerning how children learn to read and write and how they can best be taught, but also with a movement toward professional development of teachers and school administrators as the key to literacy success in schools. Thus, the project was timely and was guided by current evidence concerning what teachers of reading should know and be able to do, as outlined in the American Federation of Teachers' report.