Whole-word vs. Phonics?

This posting is in response to Shane's thoughts on how audio learners will learn spelling using phonics and sounding-out strategies, whereas visual learners will use whole-word strategies.

Shane - I think it's really interesting that you mentioned that visual learners will spell using the whole word versus phonics and sounding-out strategies. Teachers in the primary division will know that there has been great debate in the last decade or so about the benefits of phonics versus whole-word spelling. It's interesting to consider that once again, we need to cater to every student's needs and instruct them based on this thought. I guess it all comes down to Differentiated Instruction.

But it's so true - if you think about audio learners, they may try to spell words based on what the letter sounds 'say', whereas the visual learner will just read the entire word. We all know that there are many different types of learners in our classrooms, so how do we go about teaching spelling if there are such differences that exist. Some boards have 'solved' that problem by doing away with the phonics programs that they previously used and adoped whole-word spelling strategies instead. While this will cater to the visual learners, where does that leave the audio learners who understand words when they are chunked and broken down into sounds?

This is definitely something to consider, and it's something that reminds me that I need to reconsider how I teach spelling. I need to teach different strategies that cater to the needs of both audio and visual learners.