What is Orton Gillingham?
Orton Gillingham is an instructional approach intended for use with persons who have difficulty with reading (decoding) and spelling (encoding) associated with dyslexia. It is understood and practiced as an approach, not a method, program, system or technique. In the hands of a well-trained and experienced instructor, it is a powerful tool of exceptional breadth, depth, and flexibility.
The content and instructional practices that characterize the Orton-Gillingham approach are derived from two sources: first from a body of time-tested knowledge and practice that has been validated over the past 70 years, and second from scientific evidence about how persons learn to read and write; why a significant number have difficulty in doing so; how having dyslexia makes achieving literacy skills more difficult; and which instructional practices are best suited for teaching such persons to read and spell.
The approach is so named because of the contributions of Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham. Samuel Torrey Orton (1879-1948) was a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist. He brought together neuroscientific information and principles of remediation. As early as 1925, he had identified the syndrome of dyslexia as an educational problem. Anna Gillingham (1878-1963) was a gifted educator and psychologist. Encouraged by Dr. Orton, she compiled and published instructional materials as early as the 1930s which provided the foundation for student instruction and teacher training in what became known as the Orton-Gillingham Approach.
The Orton-Gillingham approach is focused upon the learning needs of the individual student. Students with dyslexia need to master the same basic knowledge about language, however, because of their dyslexia, they need more help than most people in sorting, recognizing, and organizing the building blocks of language.
The Orton-Gillingham approach is appropriate for teaching individuals, small groups, and classrooms. It is appropriate for teaching in the primary, elementary, intermediate grades, and at the secondary and college level as well as for adults. Early intervention is highly desirable, but it is never too late to begin!
from: http://www.ortonacademy.org/approach.php
The content and instructional practices that characterize the Orton-Gillingham approach are derived from two sources: first from a body of time-tested knowledge and practice that has been validated over the past 70 years, and second from scientific evidence about how persons learn to read and write; why a significant number have difficulty in doing so; how having dyslexia makes achieving literacy skills more difficult; and which instructional practices are best suited for teaching such persons to read and spell.
The approach is so named because of the contributions of Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham. Samuel Torrey Orton (1879-1948) was a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist. He brought together neuroscientific information and principles of remediation. As early as 1925, he had identified the syndrome of dyslexia as an educational problem. Anna Gillingham (1878-1963) was a gifted educator and psychologist. Encouraged by Dr. Orton, she compiled and published instructional materials as early as the 1930s which provided the foundation for student instruction and teacher training in what became known as the Orton-Gillingham Approach.
The Orton-Gillingham approach is focused upon the learning needs of the individual student. Students with dyslexia need to master the same basic knowledge about language, however, because of their dyslexia, they need more help than most people in sorting, recognizing, and organizing the building blocks of language.
The Orton-Gillingham approach is appropriate for teaching individuals, small groups, and classrooms. It is appropriate for teaching in the primary, elementary, intermediate grades, and at the secondary and college level as well as for adults. Early intervention is highly desirable, but it is never too late to begin!
from: http://www.ortonacademy.org/approach.php
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