Who was Orton?

Samuel Torrey Orton (1879-1948), a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist, was a pioneer in focusing attention on reading failure and related language processing difficulties. He brought together neuroscientific information and principles of remediation. As early as the 1920s, he had extensively studied children with the kind of language processing difficulties now commonly associated with dyslexia and had formulated a set of teaching principles and practices for such children.

Who was Gillingham?

Anna Gillingham (1878-1963) was a gifted educator and psychologist with a superb mastery of the language. Working with Dr. Orton, she trained teachers and compiled and published instructional materials. Over the last half century the Orton-Gillingham Approach has been the seminal and most influential intervention designed expressly for remediating the language processing problems of children and adults with dyslexia.

Dr. Orton was among the first to move away from the concept of mere “remedial reading,” to treat all aspects of language as related, and to do so in a “language clinic.” OGA’s teaching is based on his understanding of neurology and neural connections in the building of memory.

Anna Gillingham, working with Bessie Stillman, developed the concept of the language triangle (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic). She organized the steps of language teaching, going from the simplest sounds in isolation, to syllables, words, phrases, and sentences. She understood the importance of building kinesthetic memory, of the role of handwriting and, for some students, of simultaneous oral spelling. She developed the system of rules and generalizations that lead to the cognitive aspect of the language, and she arranged everything in the Gillingham Manual.

What is the Orton-Gillingham Approach?

The Orton-Gillingham Approach is most often associated with a one-on-one teacher-student instructional model. Its use in small group instruction is not uncommon. A successful adaptation of the Approach has demonstrated its value for classroom instruction. Reading, spelling and writing difficulties have been the dominant focus of the Approach although it has been successfully adapted for use with students who exhibit difficulty with mathematics.

The essential curricular 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 80 years, and second from scientific evidence about how individuals 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 individuals to read and write.

The Approach is so named because of the foundational and seminal contributions of Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham. Samuel Torrey Orton (1879-1948) was a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist. He was a pioneer in focusing attention on reading failure and related language processing difficulties. 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 with a superb mastery of the language. 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 most often associated with a one-on-one teacher-student instructional model. Its use in small group instruction is not uncommon. A successful adaptation of the Approach has demonstrated its value for classroom instruction. Reading, spelling and writing difficulties have been the dominant focus of the Approach although it has been successfully adapted for use with students who exhibit difficulty with mathematics.

The Orton-Gillingham Approach always is focused upon the learning needs of the individual student. Orton-Gillingham (OG) practitioners design lessons and materials to work with students at the level they present by pacing instruction and the introduction of new materials to their individual strengths and weaknesses. Students with dyslexia need to master the same basic knowledge about language and its relationship to our writing system as any who seek to become competent readers and writers. However, because of their dyslexia, they need more help than most people in sorting, recognizing, and organizing the raw materials of language for thinking and use. Language elements that non-dyslexic learners acquire easily must be taught directly and systematically.

OGA Principles

What are the newly updated OGA Principles?

The OGA Principles are the Academy’s own concise, unified statement of principles that represent the research and underlying philosophy originated in the 1920s by Dr. Samuel Orton, are substantiated by his colleagues, and are applied in the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA) seminal works. This updated version of the principles reflects a careful review of the history and rich legacy of our founders.

OGA is proud to present these principles as our own Orton-Gillingham Academy Principles of the OG Approach, “The OGA Principles” for short.

Why were these written?

The OGA Curriculum Handbook states that the principles are “essential components of the Approach” and refers to them in several of the goals and standards. Because they are central to the Approach, the Standards Committee agreed that our organization needed one unified document. Currently, there are varied versions that exist throughout the membership and our materials. Therefore, this unified statement of the OGA Principles is presented in service to our membership and community.

How were the OGA Principles developed?

The first step taken by the Standards Committee was to identify which principles had a consensus of support among the founders and were represented in the seminal works. Next, the committee looked for guidance in the work of influential researchers and educators who followed in the founders’ footsteps. Finally, the committee consulted the Academy Overview and the contributions from our rich heritage. Of significance is Margaret Byrd Rawson’s role in the development of the principles which she first outlined in 1982 for the Board of the Orton Dyslexia Society in the article titled What is Dyslexia? She then reprinted them as the Guidelines for Teaching in The Many Faces of Dyslexia (1988) which served as our baseline point of reference. After much deliberation, the committee agreed on this statement of principles that incorporates the spirit and intentions of Orton-Gillingham’s most important contributors.

OGA PRINCIPLES OF THE OG APPROACH

DIAGNOSTIC AND PRESCRIPTIVE

Instruction is a dynamic, continuous, adaptable process of monitoring student work and giving corrective feedback based on the learner’s profile and ongoing performance designed to promote accuracy and automaticity.
Instruction is diagnostic in that the instructor continuously monitors the verbal, nonverbal, and written responses of the learner to identify and analyze problems and progress. This information is the basis for planning the next lesson.
Instruction is prescriptive in that it contains elements that focus on resolving the learner’s difficulties and building on the learner’s progress noted in the previous lesson.

INDIVIDUALIZED

Instruction is individualized to meet the differing needs of learners who may be similar, but not exactly alike. Lessons are customized to meet the learner’s profile, culture, identity, and interests.

LANGUAGE-BASED AND ALPHABETIC/PHONETIC

Instruction is a comprehensive practice based on the structure and history of the English language that integrates oral language, reading, spelling, and writing. It begins at the simplest level with phonemes (sounds) and the alphabetic principle (the relationship of sounds to letters) and progresses through complex word and text structures.

SIMULTANEOUS MULTISENSORY

Instruction simultaneously utilizes the associations of the auditory (hearing), visual (seeing), and kinesthetic (movement) neural pathways.

DIRECT AND EXPLICIT

Instruction is presented systematically with concepts clearly stated, modeled, and practiced. Moving from supported practice to independent practice enhances learning and memory leading to automaticity and independent application.

STRUCTURED, SEQUENTIAL, AND CUMULATIVE, BUT FLEXIBLE

Instruction is logically organized and moves from simple, well-learned material to increasingly complex elements. Lessons continuously spiral back to reinforce previously taught skills in an integrated manner. Instructional decisions require flexibility and are based on the learner.

SYNTHETIC AND ANALYTIC

Instruction employs both synthetic and analytic processes at all levels of language; these processes are reciprocal and must be closely coordinated.
Synthetic Instruction progresses from the parts to the whole. For example, when reading, the learner blends individual sounds, syllables, and morphemes to read words.
Analytic Instruction progresses from the whole to its parts. For example, when spelling, the learner segments the sounds, syllables, or morphemes to spell words.

COGNITIVE

Instruction engages the learner in an active understanding of what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how to apply their learning in a thoughtful way. It encourages thinking and reasoning rather than reliance on rote memorization.

EMOTIONALLY SOUND

Instruction builds confidence and trust by ensuring the learner achieves regular success.

What is the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA)?

The Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA) is a certifying and accrediting body dedicated to upholding the highest professional and ethical standards for the practice of the Orton-Gillingham (OG) Approach for the treatment of dyslexia. OG is an approach that prepares the practitioner to individualize instruction to meet the specific needs of each learner.

Orton-Gillingham (O-G) training by
Fundamental Learning

All training programs meet or exceed the standards set by the
Orton-Gillingham Academy as well as the International Dyslexia Association Knowledge and Practice Standards.

Courses are taught by an Accredited Training Fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy (formerly AOGPE).

O-G Training Courses

Fundamental Learning offers the following courses that lead to all levels of Membership with the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA).
Fundamentals is the prerequisite course for ALL further training with Fundamental Learning.

Fundamentals

introductory course* – a prerequisite for ALL O-G training with Fundamental Learning.
Good working knowledge of English is required.

NOTE: Fundamentals is intended as an introduction to the “Science of Reading” and orthographic linguistics, and provides a basic overview of the underlying components and rationale of the Orton-Gillingham approach. Further training is required in order to teach using the Orton-Gillingham approach.

Subscriber

A SUBSCRIBER has completed an introductory level course that provides a basic understanding of the history of the OGA, and the science, rationale, and structure of the OGA Approach.

Fundamental Learning does not offer a Subscriber course, but Fundamentals (see above) does fulfill this requirement.

Subscriber Members are not certified by the OGA to teach or tutor students in the OGA Approach

Classroom Educator

The CLASSROOM EDUCATOR level training is specifically designed to equip teachers with tools and resources to deliver beginning literacy instruction in the classroom. Trainees walk away with a multitude of materials and ideas to use in the classroom, small groups or with individual students.

PREREQUISITE: Fundamentals

Associate Level Training

The ASSOCIATE level training continues working with the concepts introduced in Fundamentals with a more in-depth immersion into the linguistic structure of language, exploring the relationships between phonology, morphology, and etymology, as well as the History of the English Language. There is additional coursework in assessment, profile development, progress monitoring, diagnostic and prescriptive teaching, in-depth student error analysis, vocabulary development, basic grammar, as well as practice in designing and delivering O-G lessons.
PREREQUISITE: Fundamentals

Certified Level Training

The CERTIFIED level training consists of an additional 100 hours of advanced coursework which includes current research, study of the brain, dyslexia and related difficulties, language structure, writing, grammar, morphology, etymology, assessment, error analysis, organization and study skills, technology, lesson planning and using O-G strategies across subject areas.

PREREQUISITE: Associate Training

Fundamental Learning offers O-G training

All training is delivered by an Accredited Training Fellow.

Find out about our training!

OGA Levels of Membership

The membership levels in the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA) reflect a graduated range of coursework that increases in depth and breadth of literacy knowledge.
Each course follows the OGA Curriculum Standards and the OGA Principles.

Membership at each level requires participants to successfully complete designated coursework;
a supervised practicum at the Classroom Educator, Associate, Certified, and FIT levels; and an application and acceptance by the OGA.

Orton-Gillingham Academy

Every member of the Academy can trace their roots back to Orton or Gillingham depending on the lineage of their Academy training Fellow.

Learn more about OGA

Orton-Gillingham

Who was Orton?

Who was Gillingham?

What is the Orton-Gillingham Approach?

OGA Principles

What is the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA)?

Orton-Gillingham (O-G) training by Fundamental Learning

O-G Training Courses

Fundamentals

Subscriber

Classroom Educator

Associate Level Training

Certified Level Training

Fundamental Learning offers O-G training

OGA Levels of Membership

Orton-Gillingham Academy

Orton-Gillingham (O-G) training by
Fundamental Learning