Whole Words v. Phonics

My personal views about reading instruction tend to mirror the position spelled out in this article.

Basically, neither mode of instruction is the holy grail. Both ways of teaching should be made available to all children, and while they are sorting out a way to view and think about print on a page according to their own learning style, it should be made fun, engaging, and relevant.

Many try to superimpose the argument against whole language instruction in a classroom setting with children age 5 and up and apply it to children 4 and younger who are receiving whole language instruction in their home environments. I think it is a big mistake to conflate the two.