Princ. Reading Comp.	Lesson 1: Readings (4)	-

Whole Language Reading Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities:
Caught in the Cross Fire

Mather, N.
Appeared: (1992). Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 7, 87-95.

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This research article is a suggested reading for a follow-up to this lesson. It reviews the history of the reading instruction controversy surrounding the whole language approach vs. the more traditional one and how they both apply to beginning instruction for students with reading disabilities. After completing the Mather article, you should:

1. Recognize the key distinctions between the whole language theorists and traditional educators.



2. Question how paradigmatic shifts in methods of instruction affect students with learning disabilities.



3. Recognize that certain methods found helpful in teaching remedial readers are not necessarily advisable for ordinary instruction.



4. Be familiar with predictors of reading achievement.



5. Understand how phonological skills relate to performance in reading and spelling.



6. Realize the importance of balancing the use of language systems (graphophonic, syntactic, semantic) in instruction for word recognition and comprehension.



7. Learn how to not waste students' time with inappropriate approaches and thus trap students in poor programs.



8. Be aware of various methods of instruction or any combinations of methods that will help the child to learn to read.