Orton-Gillingham Reading Instruction is Considered the Most Effective Way to Teach Reading

Why Orton-Gillingham Reading Instruction is Considered the Most Effective Way to Teach Reading to Students Who Are Behind in Reading

Reading is a complex skill that requires the integration of many cognitive processes, such as phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. For some students, reading comes naturally and easily. For others, reading is a struggle that affects their academic performance and self-esteem.

Students who are behind in reading may have difficulties with one or more aspects of reading. They may have trouble recognizing letters and sounds, blending sounds into words, reading words accurately and quickly, understanding word meanings and contexts, or making sense of what they read.

These students need effective reading instruction that addresses their specific needs and challenges. They need instruction that is systematic, explicit, multisensory, and individualized. They need instruction that is based on scientific evidence and proven results.

One of the most widely used and respected approaches to reading instruction that meets these criteria is the Orton-Gillingham approach. The Orton-Gillingham approach was developed in the early 20th century by Dr. Samuel Orton, a neuro-psychiatrist who studied the brain basis of dyslexia, and Anna Gillingham, an educator and psychologist who refined Orton’s methods and materials.

The Orton-Gillingham approach is designed to help students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties learn to read effectively and enjoyably. It is also suitable for any student who needs to improve his reading skills.

What is the Orton-Gillingham Approach?

The Orton-Gillingham approach is a teaching approach that uses multisensory phonics techniques to teach reading to students who struggle with language processing. It is based on the following principles:

Reading is a language-based skill that can be taught explicitly and systematically.
Reading difficulties are often caused by problems with phonological processing, or the ability to perceive and manipulate the sounds of spoken language.
Phonological processing can be improved by teaching the connections between sounds and letters in a logical and sequential way.
Multisensory instruction that engages sight, hearing, touch, and movement can enhance learning and memory of language concepts.

The Orton-Gillingham approach is not a fixed program or curriculum. Rather, it is a flexible framework that guides teachers in planning and delivering instruction based on each student’s needs and progress. The Orton-Gillingham approach can be used with students of any age or grade level, from preschool to adulthood.

How Does the Orton-Gillingham Approach Work?

The Orton-Gillingham approach follows a structured literacy approach that teaches reading from the simplest to the most complex concepts. It covers all aspects of reading, including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Instruction

During instruction, teachers use direct and explicit teaching methods to introduce new concepts and review previously learned ones. Teachers follow a clear scope and sequence that ensures each concept is taught thoroughly before moving on to the next one. Teachers also provide cumulative review and reinforcement to help students retain what they have learned.

Teachers use multisensory techniques to engage all modalities of learning: visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), kinesthetic (moving), and tactile (touching).

Teachers monitor students’ progress and provide feedback and correction as needed. Teachers also adjust the level of difficulty and complexity of the practice materials according to each student’s readiness and mastery.

Why is the Orton-Gillingham Approach Effective for Students Who Are Behind in Reading?

The Orton-Gillingham approach is effective for students who are behind in reading because it addresses the root causes of their reading difficulties and provides them with the skills and strategies they need to overcome them. Some of the benefits of the Orton-Gillingham approach are:

It teaches reading as a language-based skill that can be learned through explicit and systematic instruction. It does not rely on memorization or guessing strategies that can lead to confusion and frustration.
It teaches phonological processing skills that are essential for reading success. It helps students develop phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds in words. It also helps students learn phonics, which is the ability to recognize and apply letter-sound relationships in words.
It teaches multisensory techniques that enhance learning and memory. It helps students connect language with letters and words using all their senses. It also helps students activate different parts of their brain that are involved in reading.

The Orton-Gillingham approach has been proven by scientific research to be effective for teaching reading to students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. Many studies have shown that students who receive Orton-Gillingham instruction improve their reading skills significantly more than those who receive other types of instruction.

The Orton-Gillingham approach is a proven and effective way to teach reading to students who are behind in reading. It helps students develop the essential skills and strategies they need to become fluent and confident readers. It also helps students enjoy reading and appreciate its value and beauty.

The We All Can Read Online Program is an Orton-Gillingham-based program.

It uses an Orton-Gillingham-based, multisensory approach that teaches reading and spelling using visual, auditory, and tactile-kinesthetic modalities.
It provides direct, systematic, and explicit phonics instruction that teaches reading and spelling from the simplest to the most complex concepts, following a logical sequence of skills and rules.
It teaches phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, spelling, and pronunciation, which are the essential components of reading and spelling instruction based on the Orton-Gillingham approach and the science of reading.
It allows individualized instruction that meets each student’s needs and interests, and allows them to work at their own pace and level of difficulty.
It incorporates an Orton-Gillingham approach to teach reading and spelling, which is sequential, systematic, and comprehensive. It follows a logical sequence of skills and rules that are incremental, organized, and easily learned.
It provides direct instruction in the following skill areas: phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in words; phonics, which is the relationship between sounds and letters; decoding, which is the ability to read words by applying phonics rules; fluency, which is the ability to read with accuracy, speed, and expression; spelling, which is the ability to write words by applying phonics rules; and pronunciation, which is the ability to say words correctly and with proper stress and intonation.
It uses a multisensory approach that engages visual, auditory, and tactile-kinesthetic modalities to enhance learning and memory.
And it is affordable! Our monthly subscription price to access all 720 online lessons is just $54 a month which is less than the average cost of a student working with an Orton-Gillingham trained tutor for 45 minutes! And our first 10 lessons are free!