A Holistic Approach to Reading

Whole Language vs. Phonics - What is the Difference?

In elementary education, there are two main approaches to teach young students how to read: Whole Language and Phonics instruction. Although considered somewhat controversial, it is important to understand what Whole Language and Phonics Instruction is, and how these methods can help children read. In addition, parents must be aware of the characteristics of both learning programs for the added benefit to their children. In some cases, one program may be better suited to the needs of a child, however, most children benefit from a blend of both learning programs.

Phonics Instruction

The nineteenth century gave birth to a traditional theory of learning that was the foundation for phonetic reading. To put it simply, the theory showed that children needed to break down a complex skill, such as reading, into its smallest components for easy comprehension. Basically, this means that children need to break up sentences by words, then down to the letters in the words for pronunciation. For instance, a child will look at a word and dissect it into each letter's sound. Next, they pronounce the word. As they continue, they learn how letters sound when grouped together. As a result, they learn to pronounce unfamiliar words that look intimidating to them.

Whole Language Instruction

In the simplest terms, “whole language” is a method of teaching children to read by recognizing words as whole pieces of language. Proponents of the whole language philosophy believe that language should not be broken down into letters and combinations of letters and “decoded.” Instead, they believe that language is a complete system of making meaning, with words functioning in relation to each other in context.

Comparison Between Both Philosophies

Phonics Programs tend to help students with better word recognition, spelling, and pronunciation. By "sounding out" the words through letter recognition, young students memorize how to read the words in front of them. Whole language does not have a written formula to follow, so word identification often is like guesswork for children. However, if only Phonic learning is used, children have major difficulties in reading comprehension, as well as having issues with the creative writing process. Whole language teaches better understanding of text.

Which is Best for a Young Student?

Although this is a highly debated subject, most educators agree on a middle ground that both Phonics and Whole Language Reading Programs are beneficial. When using both programs, a young student has a more holistic approach to reading literacy. In addition, the combination of techniques ensures proper pronunciation, spelling and word identification as well as reading comprehension and creative writing. Auditory learners benefit from Phonetics, while visual learners connect with Whole Language.

Conclusions:

The best approach for literacy is a combination of both Whole Language and Phonics instruction. While there are several benefits to both schools of thought, each program has its own unique characteristics. Because of disagreements over the years about which type of reading instruction is best, phonics or whole language, the National Reading Panel began a study in 1997 to settle the debate. In 2000, the Panel released its findings, stating that there are five essential components that must be taught in an effective reading program: phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension.

Story dramatisation on "Tiger Who came for Tea" during Save the Tiger Week

Grandparents day.......

worksheets to practice....

Learning while playing......

Windy the friendly witch befriends our preschoolers

Aggression among Children

Parents, in Delhi, face additional challenge in raising their kids as most of them live in a nuclear family. So it is no wonder that we face dilemmas over when to play and what

to read and which language to select for our children. Today’s workshop, aims to give you some tips that we use as teachers, in our pursuit to inspire young minds and encourage our students to become lifelong

learners.

Aggression, in all its forms, is one of the most problematic behaviors for parents. It’s also one of the most difficult to talk about. My goal here will be to help you better understand the origins of aggression, what we do as parents that makes it worse, and what you can do today to start lessening aggressive behavior in your child.

What do I mean by aggression? Aggression can show up in many ways, including hitting, biting, kicking, tantrums, passive aggressive behavior, yelling, and even depression.

The Roots of Aggression

Shocking as it may be to you (and onlookers), aggressive behavior is a normal part of your toddler's development. To understand what to do about aggression, we must first understand where it comes from. The root of all aggression is

• Still-emerging language skills
• a fierce desire to become independent, and

·      Undeveloped impulse control: an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex or we can say a Young brains lack skills for sharing. If a child you know refuses to share his toys, chances are he knows he is doing wrong but cannot help it. So if a kid has trouble playing fair, it is probably not because he does not understand the concept. Rather he simply cannot resist the urge to grab all the cookies and run. Just because the brain is that way doesn't mean it can't be changed. Education and setting a good example can have an enormous impact on the child.

·      Frustration: There are hundreds of things that can frustrate your child, big and small. Examples are not being able to make something work, not being able to be with (mommy or daddy or grandma or best friend) whenever the child wants, not being able to make a little brother or sister go away, not being able to have whatever he wants whenever he wants it, and on and on. The main concept here is that aggression is the result of frustration that becomes too much for your child to bear.

What can we do as parents to lessen the aggression? We’ll look at those questions in a moment, but first I want to address the things that we do that actually make the situation worse.

What Can You Do to Lessen Your Child’s Aggression?

Now that you understand more about what is behind your child’s aggressive behavior, you have a way to figure out what to do. You must utilize the power of attachment for your child’s benefit, not use it against him.

Follow up with logical consequences. If your child gets into the ball pit at the indoor play center and immediately starts throwing the balls at other kids, take him out. Sit down with him and watch the other kids play, and explain that he can go back in when he feels ready to join the fun without hurting other children. Avoid trying to "reason" with your child, such as asking him, "How would you like it if he threw the ball at you?" Toddlers don't possess the cognitive maturity to be able to imagine themselves in another child's place or to change their behavior based on verbal reasoning. But they can understand consequences.

Keep your cool. Yelling, hitting, or telling your child he's bad won't get him to curtail his behavior — you'll just get him more riled up and give him examples of new things to try. In fact, watching you control your temper may be the first step in his learning to control his.

Set clear limits. Try to respond immediately whenever your toddler is aggressive. Don't wait until he hits his brother for the third time to say, "That's enough!" He should know instantly when he's done something wrong. Remove him from the situation for a brief time-out (just a minute or two is enough). This is the best way to let him cool down, and after a while he'll connect his behavior with the consequence and figure out that if he hits or bites, he ends up out of the action.

Discipline consistently. As much as possible, respond to each episode the way you did last time. Your predictable response ("Okay, you bit Billy again — that means another time-out") will set up a pattern that your child will recognize and come to expect. Eventually, it will sink in that if he misbehaves, he'll get a time-out. Even in public, where you may be mortified by your child's behavior, don't let your embarrassment cause you to lash out at him. Other parents have been there too — if people stare, simply toss off a comment like "It's hard to have a 2-year-old," and then discipline your child in the usual fashion.

Teach alternatives. Wait until your toddler has settled down, and then calmly and gently review what happened. Ask him if he can explain what triggered his outburst. Emphasize (briefly!) that it's perfectly natural to have angry feelings but it's not okay to show them by hitting, kicking, or biting. Encourage him to find a more effective way of responding — by "talking it out"

Make sure your child understands that he needs to say he's sorry after he lashes out at someone. His apology may be insincere at first, but the lesson will sink in. The passions of toddlerhood can overtake a child's natural compassion sometimes. Eventually he'll acquire the habit of apologizing when he's hurt someone.

Reward good behavior. Rather than giving your child attention only when he's misbehaving, try to catch him being good — for example, when he asks to have a turn on the swing instead of pushing another child out of the way. Praise him lavishly for verbalizing his desires ("That's so great that you asked to have a turn!") and, in time, he'll realize how powerful words are. Then give him a time-in by offering to push his swing or playing with him afterward.

Limit TV time. Cartoons and other shows designed for young children can be filled with shouting, threats, even shoving and hitting. Try to monitor which programs he watches, particularly if he seems prone to aggressive behavior. When you do let your child watch TV, watch it with him and talk to him about situations that arise: "That wasn't a very good way for him to get what he wanted, was it?" (The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 2 watch no TV at all.)

Provide physical outlets. You might find that unless your toddler gets a chance to burn off his abundant energy, he's a terror at home. If your child is high-spirited, give him plenty of unstructured time, preferably outdoors, to let off steam.

Don't be afraid to seek help. Sometimes a child's aggression requires more intervention than a parent can provide. If your child is unusually aggressive for more than a few weeks, if he seems to frighten or upset other children, if he attacks adults, or if your efforts to curb his behavior have little effect, talk to your child's doctor, who may in turn recommend a counselor or child psychologist. Together you can determine the source of the behavior and help your child through it. Remember, your child is still very young. If you work with him patiently and creatively, chances are that his pugnacious tendencies will soon be a thing of the past.

Summary

Aggression can be a difficult dynamic for parents to work with. It can trigger our own frustrations, make us worry, and cause social concerns and fears. Aggression in children should not be seen as a horrible behavior to be snuffed out as soon as possible through any means necessary, but as a symptom of a relationship issue and of our children’s inability to know how to process their difficult feelings in a positive way. It is our responsibility and duty as parents to help our children navigate this. If we don’t, who will?