The Status of Whole Language, Phonemic Awareness and the Value of Implicit Instruction- Comments on Sheen:

The Status of Whole Language, Phonemic Awareness and the Value of Implicit Instruction: Comments on Sheen is an article written in the summer of 2004 in the Foreign Language Annals by Stephen Krashen and Hwei Jiun Shen. In this article, Stephen Krashen of the University of Southern California comments on Hwei-Jiun’ Shen’s “The Role of Explicit Instruction in EFL/ESL Teaching,” and also includes a response from Shen.

Krashen cites several points that Shen makes in her article and then explains his viewpoint on them:

1. Shen argued that California’s reading scores on the National reading test were low due to “failing of progressive literacy approaches” and the ineffectiveness of whole language, but Krashen cites evidence that this is incorrect. He believes that California was in trouble even before the whole language concept of learning was introduced. He also notes that since 1992, California’s scores have not improved and that their use of phonics and skill building had no effect (Krashen & Shen, 2004, p. 310).
2. Shen concluded that explicit instruction in phonemic awareness is necessary. Krashen believes,however, that phonemic awareness is actually the result of reading, not the cause (Krashen & Shen, 2004, p. 310).

Shen goes on to defend the points she made in response to Krashen’s comments. In response to Krashen’s points on phonemic awareness, she asks “If children have to read a lot well bell before their phonemic awareness begins to develop, then how could they have started recognizing and reading words by themselves”(Krashen & Shen, 2004, p. 311)? She explains that phonemic awareness is a prerequisite to learning how to read and without it barriers may be encountered (Krashen & Shen, 2004, p. 311).

This article highlights the debate over whether or not whole language is effective. While Shen believes that phonics are important in order to be able to learn to read effectively, Krashen counters that it is the result, not the cause, of reading . No matter which person’s view you believe, they both make the point that phonemic awareness is necessary in order to be able to understand what you are reading. This article also confirms my hypothesis that whole language and phonics go hand in hand----phonetic skills are what helps one read effectively.

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