If your child is struggling with reading, writing, or spelling, you’re probably wondering what resources and programs are available to help your child learn literacy skills. You’ve probably heard of Orton-Gillingham, or “OG,” if you’ve talked to teachers, parents, or other professionals. So, what is under the umbrella of this program, and why is having a tutor who uses this instructional method beneficial for your child?
Orton–Gillingham was the first teaching method developed expressly to assist struggling readers by explicitly teaching the relationships between letters and sounds. Many reading programs now, decades later, include Orton-Gillingham concepts.
The highly structured approach introduced the concept of breaking reading and spelling down into more minor skills involving letters and sounds and then gradually improving on these skills. It also pioneered the “multisensory” method of reading instruction, which is often regarded as particularly helpful for students with dyslexia. Teachers combine sight, hearing, touch, and movement to help kids relate letters and words to language.
In this post, we crack down the basics for you, discussing exactly what it is and why it is so valid through the use of motivational quotes
Key features and benefits of the Orton-Gillingham approach
Focusing on why words are spelled the way they are, the Orton-Gillingham method helps remove the mystery from reading and spelling. Although the English language only has 26 letters, these 26 letters combine to form around 44 speech sounds, and there are over 250 ways to spell those sounds. The OG technique, on the other hand, converts the spelling of these sounds into phonograms and demystifies reading and spelling by teaching children how to apply rules and generalizations that make what was once tricky much easier!
1. Multisensory
The Orton-Gillingham technique is distinguished by multisensory instruction. This technique is based on the premise that when children learn through three key brain pathways—visual, auditory, and kinesthetic—they learn more compared to when they simply learn through one. However, the actual strength comes when you combine the senses of sight, hearing, and touch in the same instruction. So, with the OG approach, you don’t have to wonder if your child has a specific learning preference because all three pathways are already included in every session.
2. Sequential
Lessons are provided in a logical, well-planned sequence when education is sequential. This sequence enables children to easily connect what they already know with what they are presently learning, which is a crucial step toward long-term learning. As a result, your youngster will find learning enjoyable.
3. Incremental
Each lesson in incremental instruction builds methodically on the preceding lesson. This allows your child to progress smoothly and naturally from simple concepts to more complicated ones, ensuring that he has no learning gaps. Climbing a ladder is similar: when teachings are progressive, each step of the ladder brings your child closer to the goal of reading and spelling. Even pupils who have failed in previous programs can learn to read and spell with this method.
4. Cumulative
Mastery and periodic and ongoing review of previously taught abilities are two of the most crucial elements of cumulative learning. When incremental learning, pupils grasp one idea before progressing to a more complex one. Those ideas are further strengthened through a review incorporated into every class. To achieve learning that “sticks,” mastery and review aim to ensure that the brain permanently stores, manages, and retrieves information for later use. The objective of long-term learning is accomplished when a topic is learned and mastered.
5. Individualized
The Orton-Gillingham method is always focused on the requirements of the individual because everyone learns differently. Go as quickly as you can, but as slowly as you must, Anna Gillingham once remarked. With a curriculum that adopts this methodology, it is simple for you to respect your child’s pace while teaching to their unique abilities. As a result, this method is effective for all age groups, including adults, teens, intermediate students, and beginning readers.
6. Based on Phonograms
By concentrating on the reasons why words are spelled the way they are, the Orton-Gillingham method clarifies the English language. The OG technique takes the guesswork out of reading and spelling by teaching the phonograms and the rules and patterns that spell most English words. As a result, reading and spelling are significantly simpler for students who have a working understanding of phonograms and their associated sounds. In addition, the language processing difficulties brought on by reading problems like dyslexia can be resolved even in children.
Motivational OG Quotes
To say that being a Special Education Teacher is a difficult job is an understatement. It sometimes takes a daily reminder to remember why we do what we do; here are some motivational education quotes that have helped remind me of why we are here on those more challenging days.
1. “Inclusive education seeks to address the learning needs of all children, with a specific focus on those who are vulnerable to marginalization and exclusion. The goal is to promote opportunities for all children to participate and be treated equally.” ― Andie Fong Toy.
2. “For those with learning disabilities, today’s tools for differentiation no longer hold the stigma they used to nor highlight disabilities, but provide opportunities to find success in the classroom.”― Sharon LePage Plante.
3. “When you judge someone based on a diagnosis, you miss out on their abilities, beauty, and uniqueness.” ― Sevenly.
4. “It shouldn’t matter how slowly a child learns. What matters is that we encourage them to never stop trying.”― Robert John Meehan.
5. “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”― Nelson Mandela.
6. “Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same. Fairness means everyone gets what they need.”― Rick Riordan
7. “The great end of education is to discipline rather than to furnish the mind; to train it to use its own powers rather than to fill it with the accumulation of others.”― Tyron Edwards.
8. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”― Xunzi.
9. “Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or in the same way.”― George Evans.
10. “We have a responsibility to ensure that every individual has the opportunity to receive a high-quality education, from prekindergarten to elementary and secondary, to special education, to technical and higher education, and beyond.”― Jim Jeffords.
11. “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”― Ignacio Estrada.
12. “Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.”― Plato.
13. “We need to add to the three R’s, namely Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic, a fourth— RESPONSIBILITY.”― Herbert Hoover.
14. “The advancement of knowledge must be translated into increased health and education for the children.”― Herbert Hoover.
15. “When inclusive education is fully embraced, we abandon the idea that children have to become ‘normal’ in order to contribute to the world. We begin to look beyond typical ways of becoming valued members of the community, and in doing so, begin to realize the achievable goal of providing all children with an authentic sense of belonging.”― Norman Kunc.
Key takeaways
It is remarkable that a reading system that was developed in the 1930s is still relevant in the information age. It remains one of the most reliable methods for teaching students with learning difficulties to read by focusing on the core problem of phoneme manipulation, applying multisensory techniques, and training in a highly structured way.
Now, no matter how well this approach has been inked, a teacher still needs the motivation to get through one day at a time. So we hope that the quotes mentioned above instill the motivation you require to teach children with learning difficulties in your class.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,