As educators face the challenge of reaching students with diverse learning needs, they recognize that standard reading instruction alone is not enough for some students. Many students require more intensive or targeted interventions to build foundational reading skills, particularly students with dyslexia or other significant reading challenges. For these students, Orton-Gillingham (OG)–based instruction offers a time-tested, deeply researched Structured Literacy approach, fully grounded in the science of reading, to meet their needs (Joshi et al., 2002).
Why OG-Based Instruction is so Valuable for Striving Readers
Reading is a complex, multilayered process that involves a range of skills, from being able to hear and manipulate the individual sounds within words (i.e., phonemic awareness) to gleaning meaning from text. Students with dyslexia or other learning and thinking differences require explicit, systematic, cumulative, multisensory instruction that addresses all five pillars of reading—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—to establish a strong reading foundation (Shaywitz, 2003; Kilpatrick, 2015). By leveraging OG-based strategies and techniques through use of research-based programs like SPIRE or EPS Reading Accelerator, educators can help even the most challenged readers build reading proficiency and confidence, enabling them to engage with text in ways they may not have dreamed possible.
Key Principles of Orton-Gillingham-Based Instruction
OG-based instruction has defining principles that make it particularly powerful for students with intensive reading needs, including:
- Multisensory Learning: OG instruction integrates visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), and kinesthetic/tactile (moving/touching) pathways simultaneously. This helps students connect with the material on multiple levels, strengthening their understanding. Multisensory methods are especially effective for building skills in phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding, key areas where striving readers require focused support.
- Structured, Sequential, and Cumulative Instruction: OG follows the Structured Literacy approach, using a clear scope and sequence that starts with simple concepts and advances to more complex ones. The organized, logical progression includes frequent review of previously taught skills, helping students master each concept and establish a strong foundation in reading.
- Explicit and Direct Teaching: In OG instruction, teachers guide learning through explicit, direct teaching. Concepts are introduced in a clear, structured manner, with teachers modeling skills and providing practice opportunities.
- Diagnostic and Prescriptive Approach: OG instruction is responsive to individual needs. Teachers continuously monitor student responses, using observation and data to tailor instruction, practice, and pacing (Orton-Gillingham Academy, 2022).
Putting OG-Based Instruction to Work in Tier 3 and Special Education Settings
The OG-based SPIRE program for intensive intervention can be effectively implemented in small groups, making it a viable option for Tier 3 or special education settings. To optimize impact, consider three best practices:
- Focus on Small-Group Needs: Teachers can use diagnostic assessments to create small groups based on needed skills and guide both dynamic groupings and ongoing instructional decisions. This ensures that instruction is tightly aligned with where students are in their reading development.
- Dedicate Time for Intensive Intervention: To make meaningful progress, students in Tier 3 or special education settings need consistent support. Carve out 30-60 minutes of intervention time daily to help challenged readers build essential skills.
- Provide Ongoing Professional Learning: Educators benefit from accessible, digestible training, paired with on-the-job support. This continuous learning approach enables educators to incorporate OG principles and practices and successfully implement an easy-to-use OG-based program.
An Anchor for Striving Readers
OG–based instruction is not a typical reading intervention; it is an anchor for students who need a structured, sensory-rich approach to overcome significant reading difficulties. By offering the OG-based SPIRE intervention in Tier 3 and special education settings as well as EPS Reading Accelerator for Tier 2 students, educators can transform striving readers’ self-perceptions and their capacities, providing them with an unencumbered path toward lifelong learning and opportunity.
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