Why we value The Orton-Gilingham Approach

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RETA BOONE
BA, BEd (Primary/Junior)
Curriculum Specialist / Support

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      The Orton-Gillingham approach was something that I had heard great things about.  In fact, I was encouraged many times by colleagues to enroll in training as they had witnessed firsthand how amazing it is, and now I understand why. Just as Orton and Gillingham believed in keeping the best interest of each child their priority, I also held that belief close to my heart and I felt that I was making the best choices for my students each and every day. The sad thing is, you get caught up so much in twenty-first century learning and implementing technology that you sometimes get sidetracked from spending quality time interacting with your students. But it’s understandable; we live in a very fast paced world, where everything is about convenience. So why wouldn’t a student want to type their work, or use voice to text, and have spell check to support them with their spelling? They don’t have to write, and spelling is a non-issue when you have a screen doing it for you (depending on the child’s level of spelling). I quickly learned however, this is not the best way to support all of our students who struggle in areas of reading, spelling, and writing. Students, regardless of how they learn, still deserve the opportunity to learn through a multisensory approach.

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​      After completing training in OG Foundations, I felt liberated and saddened at the same time. I spent 12 years as a classroom teacher before moving into a curriculum support role. I taught to the best of my ability, and having a Montessori background I did indeed use valuable teaching methods that focused on a multisensory approach. But after spending time in this course and reading numerous resources, I now know that I could have done more to support my students. How is it that we spend time learning how to be a teacher, yet the information is not all correct? Then we follow a curriculum document that is meant to guide us as we deliver content; content that is supposed to teach students the most important components around reading, writing, and spelling. I am boggled now that we have one of the most important jobs which is teaching the youth who will in turn become the link to our future, yet valuable information and resources are not always at the forefront. In our training, the instructor did state that we only teach what we know, and yes while that is true and comforting, it is also our job to ask questions about what is beneficial and what cautions to take. This all resonated with me profoundly because I am working with students with such diverse needs and abilities and therefore understand that sitting back and just using what I learned before is not enough. OG Foundations was the first step to realizing that if we want to best support our students, we need to ask questions and discover the science behind teaching our students so we can implement the most effective treatment.

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​           Collaboration is key within any school environment, but even more important when you are working with students who have experienced failure and their mindset is tainted in the belief that they can do better. At OBA, we work together to change this mindset, and we do this through collaboration. This includes the many wonderful ideas and resources brought together through staff of different experiences and backgrounds. We bring together academics, ABA, and ACT in a way that is necessary to engage and teach our students. Looking at each child as an individual, and understanding that you need to support them based on their own personal differences is vital to their success. I’m thankful that the Orton-Gillingham approach is one that was not left unnoticed and that we are fortunate enough to bring it into collaboration within our OBA community.
 
Yours Truly,
 
Reta

More Information on the O-G Approach