For the Love of Literacy

An Orton-Gillingham methodology

 

The Orton-Gillingham approach to literacy instruction is well-known in the literacy learning community as being effective in helping children and adults who have difficulty with reading and/or spelling.  I was trained in the Wilson Reading Program, which is a multi-sensory and Orton-Gillingham approach. 

 

The program involves teaching students to break words down into smaller parts, recognize patterns in words, and apply them to reading and writing, Students begin at their individual levels and progress to incrementally more complex steps only when they have achieved fluency at that level.

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Benefits

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There are many benefits to using an Orton-Gillingham approach.  Some of these include:

• Increased confidence: Students are given ample opportunity to experience success in reading and spelling before moving on to new challenges.  Students who have literacy challenges often have a deflated sense of self-worth.  Giving them the chance to feel successful and competent is extremely important.

• Multi-sensory approach: Students engage with reading and writing through sight, sound, touch, and movement.  This approach is particularly effective for students with dyslexia due to the unique way their brains forge connections.

• Sequential: Students develop a strong foundation in literacy and build upon it with gradually increasing complexity.

• Individualization: Lessons are tailored to individual abilities and are modified along the way as needed. 

• Greater love of reading and writing: For many students, reading and writing feels more like a grueling battle than a fun hobby.  Becoming more comfortable with the written word opens students up to the exciting opportunities that literacy presents.

Services offered:

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Virtual literacy tutoring:

• one-on-one

• partnered with one other student

• small group (3-4 students/group max.)

• weekly summer camp (NEW)

• secondary and post-secondary help

  • learning skills​

  • time management

  • essay writing 

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What I offer:

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• Experience: 15 years in educating students across a broad spectrum of development and abilities

• Education and training: University education, teacher training, literacy tutoring training, and attendance to a variety of workshops and seminars in my field

• Patience: the adjective most often used to describe me, it's a very useful attribute to have when working with struggling students

• Empathy: helps me to foster stronger relationships with my students 

• Flexibility: Not every approach works for every student, I observe closely and adapt as needed

• Proven results: frequent feedback from parents about student improvements as well as personal observations of progress

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A Whole New World

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COVID-19 created new challenges in the world of education.  From attending webinars, to reading books and articles, to trying different methods out on my students, to evaluating what worked and what did not, and to adapting, I have learned a whole lot.  There are a surprising number of benefits to online learning, including:

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• scheduling flexibility: no need to take travel time into account

• consistency: consistency is strongly associated with results and learning virtually makes it easier to attend consistently

• environmental flexibility: students can study wherever wifi is available; learning environment can be tailored to individual student needs

• computer skills: essential for students to learn in a technology-driven world

• student engagement: games and applications that are only available online that increase fun and engagement

• writing ease: some students perform better when typing than handwriting because of decreased cognitive load

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