Orton-Gillingham Approach

The Orton-Gillingham philosophy is based on a technique of studying and teaching language and on an understanding of the nature of human language, of the mechanisms involved in learning, and of the language-learning processes in individuals. Inherent in the language acquisition process is emphasis on the meaning and comprehension of the material that is written and read.  Speech, where words are formed, is a primary communication system for conveying meaning. In turn, spoken words may be represented graphically by the symbols of a writing system. Where such a writing system is based upon the alphabetic principle, rules specify how symbolic letters shall correspond with sounds and their order in spoken words. Words are sequenced according to an established rule structure (grammar) to form meaningful sentences. Sentences are then arranged according to rules of paragraphing and thematic composition in increasingly sophisticated levels of organization. In the language of mathematics, a different, but in many regards overlapping, code and system of symbolic relationships needs also to be mastered.

The application of the Orton-Gillingham philosophy is based also on human neurophysiology and psychology which indicates that it is appropriate to use a multisensory approach in teaching language. Each phonetic unit and sequence in spoken and/or graphic form is learned and practiced simultaneously and in coordination with one another. Auditory, visual, and kinesthetic patterns reinforce each other for optimal learning, and provide flexibility for accommodating individual learning differences. This educational methodology embodies teaching strategies which are biologically and linguistically sound and beneficial to all language learners. As a general principle, knowledge for understanding and sufficient practice for mastery promotes efficiency of language acquisition. For the dyslexic person, the emphasis on step-by-step development of skill has proven essential to both early success and lasting results. (Source: ©Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators 10/03)

Teaching Orton-Gillingham

Teaching, as well as learning, has many dimensions. While we, the educators, are keeping the structure of the language in mind, we need to remember the learner’s need for a program that is at once multi-sensory, phonetically based, structured, sequential, cumulative, and rational. As a logical consequence of the Orton-Gillingham history, the type of program which has developed is based on teaching the language continuum to an individual, from birth to mature competence. We need both education for understanding the principles of the language, and training, or practice, to make the learned elements retrievable and the processes automatic. These skills need to be acquired through all the sensory avenues of learning open to the student—visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile, in interactions summarized as a multisensory approach. While all the input and output modalities are being used, there is the full realization that clear vision, sharp hearing, and controlled muscles are but the necessary servants. The mind is the master. It is in the end not just the eye, the ear, the voice or the hand, but the brain which learns both to read in order to understand and to write that others may read. And so we teach the language as it is to the individual as he or she is—a human nervous system with a unique configuration as a thinking, learning person.