The Beauty of Ken Goodman and Whole Language Literacy

Ken Goodman’s approach to whole language reading has been highly influential in the field of reading education. His belief that meaning and context are central to reading instruction has led to the development of a number of whole language programs and methodologies, which have been widely adopted in classrooms around the world.

One of the key advantages of whole language reading is that it allows readers to construct meaning from the text, rather than simply decoding words based on their individual sounds. This approach is believed to be more effective because it mirrors the natural process of learning to read. Children learn to speak by listening to and interacting with others, and they learn to read in a similar way by being exposed to a variety of texts and engaging with them meaningfully (Moats, 1995). This means that whole language reading is not just about decoding words, but also about understanding their meanings and how they fit into the larger context of the text.

Another advantage of whole language reading is that it takes into account the context in which words are used. Words often have multiple meanings depending on the context in which they are used, and the whole language approach allows readers to consider these contextual cues when constructing meaning (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). This is particularly important for learners of English as a second language, as it allows them to understand the language in a more authentic and meaningful way.