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Every now and then the reading wars break out and people new to the field of adult literacy get caught up in a debate about whole language versus phonics. But does whole language necessarily exclude the teaching of phonics?
In this 5 minute presentation, Pam Osmond, who was working with the academics who brought the whole language approach to Australia in the 1970s, demystifies whole language and how adults read.
Pam suggests that these days whole language is a term best avoided as there are so many misunderstandings, and different meanings and connotations. That doesn’t mean abandoning the approach, but rather thinking of it as ‘student-centred learning’.