How Do I Learn to Teach Orton-Gillingham?
To properly teach the Orton-Gillingham approach, teachers must complete specialized training.
How Do I Find the Right
Orton-Gillingham Program?
Orton-Gillingham is a widely recognized method based on the Science of Reading research that focuses on multisensory techniques that teach reading and spelling. Several training programs accredited in Structured Literacy incorporate the Orton-Gillingham approach. These programs use the Science of Reading research to drive all instruction so that educators are equipped with the tools, resources, and skills they need to integrate research-based, explicit, systematic, and multi-sensory instruction into their curriculum.
Structured Literacy utilizes the Orton-Gillingham approach along with other structures such as phonemic awareness, morphology, orthography, semantics, syntax, and text structure to improve reading skills. The Orton-Gillingham approach aims to ‘rewire’ the neurological connections in the brain’s language centers by using explicit, systematic, direct instruction.
The approach also focuses on a prescriptive-diagnostic way of teaching, meaning that all errors will be noted and corrected with feedback. Students must master each skill before they move on to the next. If a student is confused, the instructor will reteach that skill. The goal is for students to use the skills they’ve learned to decode words independently.
Find a program taught by licensed educators who have obtained a minimum of a master’s degree in an education-related field, have used Orton-Gillingham and Structured Literacy in the classroom, are CERI certified, and have gone through a rigorous Structured Literacy certification program.
What Should I Look for in an Orton-Gillingham Training Program?
With new changes in reading legislation, teachers across the country will want to be prepared to support Structured Literacy in their classrooms. To feel equipped to deliver this evidence-based approach, they will need a broad knowledge of the elements and principles found in the Knowledge and Practice Standards (KPS) that the International Dyslexia Association has developed to unify and certify those who teach reading.
IDA-Accredited programs set benchmarks for quality instruction. Educators should be able to immediately implement what they have learned once they go back into the classroom.
There are many Orton-Gillingham certification programs for teachers who want to take their understanding and practice of Orton-Gillingham methodology to the next level. Certification requirements may differ slightly from state to state.
The Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI) is the International Dyslexia Association’s certifying subsidiary. Upon completing the practicum with training providers, educators are prepared to take the Knowledge and Practice Examination for Effective Reading Instruction (KPEERI) and qualify for CERI Certification.
See Orton-Gillingham as a Part of Structured Literacy Training in Action
Structured Literacy can ensure that students are equally exposed to important foundational literacy skills in a sequential, systematic, and cumulative way.