My child is having difficulty learning to read.. how do I teach him?
Do you know what your child's primary learning channel is... Auditory,
Visual, Kinesthetic, or Tactile? You may know already that these are
the four ways people receive info.. And people who are able to learn
do so through one or more of these channels.
Orton-Gillingham methods involve putting instruction
into ALL four channels simultaneously(referred to sometimes as VAKT
learning), so every channel has input. If the child is a visual learner
and everything is presented auditorily, the child won't get much out
of the instruction. Additionally, children tend to learn at some level
through each of the channels unless they are blind or deaf (which eliminates
the visual / auditory channels). So, by presenting learning on every
channel, the child "maximizes" their learning.
Using Orton-Gillingham for remediation isn't a quick road, nor a specific
program, but rather a way of teaching that maximizes a child's ability
to absorb information being presented. The specific program that works
will depend on which of the VAKT channels are being taught to and which
one(s) the child learns through as well as the intensity level of instruction
based upon a child's working and short-term memory issues. Short-term
and working memory problems wreak havoc on retention - and intense,
repetitive instruction is a key component to getting info into the long-term
memory. (continued
below..)
Remediation
programs are ALL based on one or more of the learning channels. Some
programs use a limited number of channels, use a single channel, or
use limited repetitions. Limiting the number of channels will eliminate
at least one learning avenue, which may happen to be the channel the
child requires.. Then they won't learn anything from the program. Additionally,
even if ALL of the channels are being taught to, sometimes a child has
memory storage or retrieval problems that make it more difficult for
the info to "stick" wherein intensity is a key component.. Sometimes
a child can require 300+ repetitions to affect retention.
In my opinion, the best way to teach a child is to determine their primary
learning channel(s), use ALL of the learning channels for teaching with
the heaviest weight on the primary learning channel, and to present
through *intense* repetition - daily for 40-60 minutes. Involving ALL
of the learning channels can make the instruction varied and "fun" by
changing activities every 10 minutes or so, presenting the info over
and over in different ways.
When teaching reading, it is more often than not important to start
with the most basic aspects - recognizing the phonemes in auditory and
spoken forms - Once the hearing / speaking part is mastered, then it
can be applied to printed text in sequential (starting at the single
sound level), specific instruction. You should know as well, that reading
is an AUDITORY activity.. Many people think reading is "visual learning"
because it is printed on a page, but the understanding of reading is
an activity processed in the auditory center of the brain. Fluent readers
"say" words in their brains as they read and brain scans through fMRI
show that the auditory center of the brain is activated during reading.
This is why deaf children typically have a more difficult time learning
to read than do blind people using braille. (continued
below..)
It
is by NO MEANS easy to teach through Orton-Gillingham methods.. and
I have yet to find a "recipe" that I consider a full-fledged program.
I have combined about 6 different programs and taken Orton-Gillingham
certification classes to be sure to cover all I can.
Orton-Gillingham Methods have been shown in numerous studies (over decades)
to be effective for all but a very few children (and by that I mean
children who are affected by significant intellectual impairments placing
their IQ at a very low level ).
Learning to read breaks down like this... 60% of kids learn to read with "standard" instruction (phonics or whole language - doesn't matter - these kids will likely learn to read given any reading instruction at all). 40% of kids require specific, detailed instruction in how to read. Of those 10-15% will have significant difficulty requiring intense, specific, sequential, multi-sensory instruction (Orton-Gillingham) to address their specific deficits.
This is where it is helpful to know if the problems are auditory or visual or both, or working memory, etc.. and to know the child's primary learning channel (or style). Then there are 3% will be unable to learn to read and whose IQs are actually well below average, not just pulled below average because of specific learning disabilities (if that makes any sense).
