+ Central Ohio: Advanced Decoding Workshop in August

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COBIDA (the Central Ohio Branch of the International Dyslexia Association) enthusiastically presents William Van Cleave MA, author of the book  ”Word Smarts: Morphology Development and Advanced Decoding.“

The book, Word Smarts: Morphology Development and Advanced Decoding is called a reference manual for Orton-Gillingham teachers and tutors.

This workshop picks up where basic word attack leaves off.   Most schooling provides nuts and bolts decoding instruction only at the earliest primary level.

In fourth or fifth grade, students are presented with textbooks filled with much longer words words than they’ve ever seen.  In early high school the complexity increases dramatically.

Students with reading problems — even if they received effective basic phonics instruction — often don’t have the strategies to handle this level of difficulty and may give up, finding the texts impenetrable.

Workshop Description

In this workshop participants will examine the origins of our language, learn about the characteristics of the major languages that influenced English, and grapple with basic word parts (morphology).  They will gain effective tools for instructing students at this level.

Students who have plateaued — or who may even  despair that they will ever “figure it out” — will benefit when given this kind of eye-opening information!

Register early.

• Tuesday and Wednesday August 7 + 8, 2012
• 8:30 am – 4:00 pm (registration begins 7:45 am)
• Workshop fee: $250 / $195 IDA member
• OCLC Conference Center, 6500 Kilgour Pl, Dublin OH 43017

Fee includes a box lunch and a copy of William Van Cleve’s book.

Register at http://www.cobida.org.  Questions: info@cobida.org.

Orton-Gillingham tutoring in Columbus OH:  Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021  or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Learning and the Brain Conference May 4-6 2012

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• May 4-6, 2012
• Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington VA
• Topic is “The Web-Connected Generation: How Technology Transforms Their Brains, Teaching and Attention”

Visit the site below for details and bios of presenters

http://www.learningandthebrain.com/Event-95/The-Web-Connected-Generation/Program

Orton-Gillingham tutoring in Columbus OH:  Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021 or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ It’s Not Too Early: Marburn’s Summer Program

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Central Ohio’s Marburn Academy in Columbus is the premier school here for bright students who learn differently.

 In addition to its regular school year, Marburn offers a rich group of summer programs to choose from.

Marburn’s Summer Language Program: July 2-31 2012

This exceptional language program is designed for students who need to improve their reading and writing skills.  It has produced dramatic results in helping hundreds of dyslexic students discover the joy of becoming successful readers and writers.

The daily language curriculum includes:

• A one-to-one language tutorial , using the Orton-Gillingham approach to provide multisensory instruction in linguistic concepts for reading and spelling.
• Visualizing and Verbalizing  and Making Meaning curricula for improving comprehension, retention and vocabulary.
• Composition: using computers to build fluency and improve creative use of language.
• Computer lab work, featuring keyboarding instruction and practice, computer art, desktop publishing of written compositions, and structured practice of reading and spelling skills.  Students use the Lexia Learning fluency software.

The language Program is open to students between the ages of 7-12.  July 2-31, 2012.  Times: 8:45 am to 12:15 pm.  Fee: $1800

Marburn’s Summer  Mathematics Program: July 2-31, 2012

Learning mathematics should be fun, but students who struggle with basic facts or operations often don’t see it that way. 

Marburn’s mathematics program was created to make learning active and enjoyable.  It cultivates the mathematician within every kid.  Students benefit from this program. because mathematics is taught in a social context, with hands-on experiential activities.

Students will

• Use manipulatives and high interest activities to develop number sense, understanding of operations, and to learn basic facts.
• Work cooperatively to test ideas and theories for deeper understanding.
• Use computer programs to practice individualized skills and build fluency.
• Learn strategies and shortcuts that make problem solving manageable.

The Math Program is open to children in grades 3 through 8.  Dates: July 2-31, 2012, weekdays.  Time: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.  Fee: $1300.

Marburn’s Summer Written Expression Program: July 2-31, 2012

This structured and sequentially presented program makes use of laptop computers, short engaging assignments, and a focused revision process. Through these methods students improve writing fluency, passage unity, word choice, and craftsmanship. 

Students experience success using writing as a tool to communicate their thoughts.  They become more enthusiastic writers.

The Written Expression Program includes:

• Creating a positive feeling toward writing by completing a variety of short poems; they will publish finished pieces.
• Encouraging creative word choice with group interaction and brainstorming to discover lively and precise language.
• Building and documenting fluency so words flow easily.
• Using an incremental revision process so  students progress toward confidence and independence .

NOTE: This class is designed for successful readers who continue to struggle with forming ideas and age-appropriate written expression.

The Written Expression Program is open to children in grades 6 through 8.  Dates: July 2-31, 2012, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Time: 1:00 pm t0 4:00 pm.  Fee: $1,000. 

Marburn’s  Summer Phonemic Awareness Program: July 2-31, 2012

“Phonemic awareness” involves the ability to hear and identify the separate sounds and syllabic units that make up our words.  This skill is now universally recognized as the single most important precursor skill for reading success.

For the youngest students who have low skills in identifying the sounds that make up our language, this highly enjoyable activity-based class is designed to improve phonemic awareness.

Marburn’s Written Expression Program includes:

• Rhyming.
• Syllabication.
• Auditory perception and discrimination.
• Fluency practice on the computer.

The Phonemic Awareness Program dates are: July 2-31, 2012, weekdays.  Time: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.  Fee: $700. 

Marburn Academy is located at 1860 Walden Drive, Columbus OH 43229.  Telephone 614-433-0822, ext. 107.

Marburn is a non-profit, independent and state-accredited school for children with learning disabilities.  The Academy admits students without regard to race, color, creed or national origin.

Marburn Academy is  an AOGPE accredited school.  AOGPE is the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitionaers and Educators, which assures superior quality O-G language education. 

Marburn  Academy’s programs have received national recognition for excellence and innovation in education for non-traditional learners.

Minimum enrollment levels are necessary, and Marburn Academy reserves the right to cancel classes in which minimum enrollment is not achieved

Orton-Gillingham tutoring in Columbus OH:  Adrienne Edwards 614-579-6021 or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Reading Checklist

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The most recent issue of  Perspectives on Language and Literacy  is themed “Beyond Reading Recovery: What Works Best?”

The theme editor is Tom Nicholson, Professor in the School of Education at Massey University, Aukland, New Zealand.

In his summary introduction to the issue, he offers a checklist given to students, which I think could be useful as you gather information about a young reader. 

Questions About Reading

• How good a reader do you feel yourself to be?
• How do you feel when it is your turn to read out loud in school?
• How do you feel when you come to a new word while reading?
• How do you feel when you have to spell a new word that you don’t know how to spell?
• How do you feel about getting a book for a present?
• How do you feel about going to school?
• How do you think you’ll feel about reading when you go to high school?
• Would you rather clean your room or read?
• How often do you read at home by yourself?
• How long do you read for, after school is out and before you go to bed?
• How many books do you have at home (just your own)?
• When do you do most of your reading at home?
• Can you remember the name of a book you read recently?
• Do you like to read?

 from Tom Nicholson’s article in “Perspectives on Language and Literacy” Fall 2011.  Perspectives is a quarterly publication of the International Dyslexia Association:  www.interdys.org  

Orton Gillingham tutoring in Columbus OH:  Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021  or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ 25th Annual ALTA National Conference April 8+9 2011

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The 25th Annual ALTA Conference is to be held in Dallas TX on April 8-9, 2011.

Topics are

• Executive Functioning
• Multi-sensory Math
• Emotional Literacy
• Student/Teacher/Certified Academic language Therapist with Dyslexia

Speakers are

Dr. Michael McLane, who will address executive functioning.  He is a licensed psychologist with expertise in child and adolescent neuropsychology.  

This field is devoted to understanding how learning and behavior are related to the development of a child’s brain structure and systems. 

The term executive functioning describes a set of cognitive abilities that control and regulate other abilities and behaviors, especially goal-directed behavior.  In includes the ability to

• initiate and stop actions
• monitor and change behavior as needed
• plan future behavior when faced with novel tasks and situations  
• to anticipate outcomes
• to adapt to changing situations. 
• to form concepts and think abstractly

Marilyn Zecher will address multi-sensory math.

A multi-sensory approach to teaching math uses concrete manipulatives to teach mathematical concepts.  Using the recommendations of current research, suggestions from the National Math Panel and the principles of Orton-Gillingham instructional strategies, she will provide an interactive hands-on overview of how to help and support students who struggle with learning math.

Marc Brackett will speak on emotional literacy, a powerful concept.

Research has found that social and emotional learning  not only improves children’s social and emotional abilities, but also lowers risks of violence, substance abuse, and unwanted teen pregnancy.  It can influence the development of  children who are better behaved and more positive about learning. 

But most impressively, academic achievement scores improve by an average 12-15%.

At the heart of emotional literacy is the idea that a fundamental awareness of human relationships – how it impacts every angle of a situation — can lead to improved academic outcomes. 

Learning about the brain and its connections to emotions is a valuable tool for both educators and parents.  It can help children choose a  range of options as they broaden their awareness and fine-tune their response to our increasingly complex, global world.

 Dede Toney is a student, teacher and certified academic language therapist (CALT) with dyslexia.  She says

It is an honor to join with you in a profession that the world could not do without, and although it does not value what you do as it should, nor pay you accordingly, this profession is priceless.  Every day you get the honor of igniting the fire of learning as you creatively teach students in the way that they learn best. 

 Just as a coach coaches his team, you get the opportunity to provide your students with play-by-play information that will help them be ready to meet the challenges of a changing educational society.  Educators, thank you for making a powerful difference in the lives of students every day!

Online registration is available at http://www.altaread.org.

What is ALTA?

ALTA  (the Academic Language Therapy Association) is a non-profit national professional organization incorporated in 1986 for the purpose of establishing, maintaining, and promoting standards of education, practice and professional conduct for Certified Academic Language Therapists.

It was the first national group organized solely for written-language professionals.

ALTA and the Orton-Gillingham certifying organizations have a common purpose and methodology: to educate students with dyslexia or written-language disorders to proficiency in literacy.  They all use comprehensive multi-sensory, structured, phonics-based curricula.

The Academic Language Therapy Association is located in Dallas TX, and can be reached by phone: 972-233-9107 or at the Web site http://www.ALTAread.org   

tutoring in Columbus OH: Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021  or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Central Ohio Parent Seminar on Eligibility for Services

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Central Ohio parents of children with learning challenges will want to attend the parent seminar

• Topic:  ABC’s of Eligibility for School Age Services
• Where:  Northwest Library Meeting Room, 2280 Hard Road, Columbus OH 43235
• When:  10:00 to noon, Wednesday October 13, 2010

You can email COBIDA at info@cobida.org for more information or to register for the seminar (not necessary, though)

COBIDA is the Central Ohio Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.  That Web site is http://www.cobida.org

Note: topic for November 10th seminar is “Basics of a Multisensory Language Education” (Orton-Gillingham based)

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021   or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Principles of the Orton-Gillingham Approach

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The principles of the Orton-Gillingham approach mean that each child receives instruction tailored to his or her specific needs.  Here they are:

• Diagnostic and Prescriptive – The teacher always seeks to understand how an individual learns and to devise appropriate teaching strategies.  Each lesson is planned to a particular student.  Infinitely adaptable, Orton-Gillingham is a flexible approach rather than a “system.”
• Direct and Explicit – The instructor presents the material in direct and explicit fashion.  A student is never expected to know anything that has not been taught and practiced. 
• Language Based — The Orton-Gillingham approach is based on a technique of studying and teaching language; understanding the nature of human language; the mechanisms involved in learning; and the language learning process in individuals.
• Multisensory — The Orton-Gillingham approach is multisensory.  Sessions are action-oriented: auditory, visual and kinesthetic elements reinforce each other for optimal learning.  Spelling is taught simultaneously with reading;  in this respect Orton-Gillingham differs from traditional phonics instruction.
• Structured, Sequential, Cumulative — but Flexible — The elements of the language are introduced systematically.  Students begin by reading and writing sounds in isolation.  These are blended into syllables and words.  The various elements of  the language — consonants, vowels, digraphs, blends and diphthongs — are introduced in orderly fashion.  As students learn new material, they continue to review old material to the level of automaticity.  The teacher addresses vocabulary, sentence structure, composition, and reading comprehension in a similar structured, sequential, and cumulative manner.
• Cognitive — Students learn about the history of the language and study the many generalizations and rules that govern its structure.  Again and again, they are encouraged to think rather than guess.
• Emotionally Sound – Because old material is constantly reviewed and new material is introduced systematically, the student experiences a high degree of success in every lesson and gains in confidence as well as in skill.  Thus, self-esteem develops directly from the student’s achievement and learning becomes a positive experience.

Obviously, Orton-Gillingham is not  a “cookbook” method.  It does not just fill in gaps.  Instruction is diagnostic at every lesson; the instructor checks for any snag or difficulty to evaluate the reason it is occurring.  In this way, elements of the next session can be prescribed on the basis of  that child’s need, to strengthen his understanding and reinforce it.  

source: the COLE training manual.  COLE (Consortium of  Literacy Educators) is one of several certified Orton-Gillingham curricula, all of which are stricly built on these principles.  For information about COLE, contact cole3@comcast.net

+ AOGPE Conference Agenda: May 1-2 2009

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The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) annual conference is being held Friday May 1 (half-day) and Saturday May 2 at Harrah’s Hotel and Conference Center in Las Vegas.

The theme is Empowerment! for Teachers, Clinicians, Children & Parents.

Register by April 16 and save: call 845-373- 8919, or visit www.ortonacademy.org.

Keynote Speakers are

• Drake D. Duane, MD — behavioral neurologist, who established the Institute for Developmental Behavioral Neurology at Arizona State University.  He is the immediate past president of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities and a past president of the International Dyslexia Association. His address is titled:  Dyslexia: Neurobiology & Behavioral Associations, a 21st Century View.
• Denise P. Gibbs, Ed.D — director of the Scottish Rite Foundation of Alabama Learning Centers; she is the author of “RTI in Middle and High School Structures for Literacy Success,” as well as “Leading the Dyslexia Challenge: An Action Plan for Schoolwide Identification and Intervention.”  Her address is titled: Response to Intervention for Middle & High School Students: Frameworks, Assessments & Interventions.
• Tom Pierce, Ph.D. — co-project director of the Nevada Child Care Subsidy Project, and co-director of Project CONNECT; he is associate editor for “Intervention in School and Clinic.”  His address is titled  Post-Secondary Assistance for Students with Learning Differences: Creating Seamless Transitions. 

 Breakout sessions include

• Squaring Up to Math:  Geometry — What is it all About?
• The Orton-Gillingham Approach : 3 sessions through the continuum
• English Isn’t Crazy — It is Merely Complex
• For Parents — moderated panel
• Advanced Writing I: Using a Taxonomy of Semantics in Creative Writing
• The ABCs of Education Law
• A Reading Evaluation that Guides Instruction
• Grammar I — Getting Started with Grammar: the O-G Approach
• Poor Readers + Advanced Orton-Gillingham = a Great Combination for Success!
• Squaring Up to Math: Rounding — A Skill Important in Problem Solving
• Reading amd Writing I + II:  Perfect Together
• Teaching the Subject Matter to Students Who Struggle with Reading, Written Expression & Spelling
• Advanced Writing II: Scaffolding the Essay
• Why Teach Spelling?
• The How and When of Teaching Morphology
• Grammar II — Continuing with Grammar Instruction
• Leveling the Playing Field for All Types of Learning
• Squaring Up to Math: The Rights & Wrongs of Teaching Algebra
• Opening School Doors — An Orton-Gillingham Approach
• Mind versus Brain: The Roots of Whole language versus Phonics
• Empowerment with the Assistance of Technology
• Panel Discussion:  What is the Academy?

You can email the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) at ortonacademy@verizon.net.  Their phone: 845-373-8919.

tutoring in Columbus OH:  Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021   or email   aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Orton-Gillingham Academy Spring Conference Offers Math Too

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The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators  (AOGPE)  is hosting its Annual Spring Conference, May 1-2, 2009 at Harrah’s Hotel & Conference Center in Las Vegas Nevada.

Topic: The Orton-Gillingham Approach: Empowerment! 

The conference is directed to teachers, clinicians, children and parents.  

• The keynote speaker on Saturday will be Dr Drake Duane. 
• Joyce Stevens will lead a math symposium. 
• Kay Howells and Jean Osman will present a sesion about teaching written language skills from basic through advanced levels of language. 
• Phyllis Hutson will lead a grammar symposium.
• Other notable speakers include Arlene Sonday, Diana King, and Wilson Anderson.

There will be many more informative sessions as well.

Check the academy website at www.ortonacademy.org or call 845-373-8919 beginning in February  for the full brochure.

tutoring in Columbus OH: Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021   or email   aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ AOGPE Establishes a New Math Institute

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The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) established a new Math Institute in the spring of 2008.  (Find AOGPE at www.ortonacademy.org. )

AOGPE President Angela Wilkins writes in the Winter 2008 Academy News that “it is clear that teachers, administrators, and parents are searching for effective approaches to teaching math based on the Orton-Gillingham principles.” 

In an accompanying article, Marilyn Wardrop explains how O-G methods can be used.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in 2000 revised and updated their standards and identified “equity” as their first principle for school mathematics.  They note that equity requires accommodating differences to help everyone learn mathematics.

Regrettably, she says, remedial and special education is particularly weak in math instruction.  As a result, there has been a primary emphasis on the acquisition of basic skills and traditional arithmetic; clearly there is a need for differentiating or adapting mathematics.

Orton-Gillingham instruction teaches the structure of the English language through an effective approach that is multisensory, structured, sequential, cumulative and emotionally sound.  Key to this instruction is “multisensory.”

Dr. Joyce Steeve, in 1979, wrote one of the earliest papers advocating the same teaching principles for teaching mathematics.

These multisensory strategies for teaching math are effective for all students.  They use a visual, auditory, knesthetic, tactile (VAKT) approach that caters to struggling students by not insisting that they simply sit still and learn the material.

Students manipulate tangible concrete objects that help them conceptualize abstract concepts.

Here are some strategies Wardrop suggests:

• Demonstrated knowledge includes 3 things — comprehension of task demands, articulation of one’s own approach to the learning of similar tasks, and a grasp of the appropriate strategies for the task.  When teachers hear the student’s thinking process and see the work that results, they can easily diagnose and prescribe lessons on a day-to-day basis.
• Manipulatives make math concrete.  Best practices in math education call for teaching of concepts with concrete materials and examples.  Learning is enjoyable and all senses are engaged while making connections between the concrete and the abstract.
• Mathematical language can be difficult, just as the talk about vocabulary terms, semantics, and syntax are when speaking about language.  So use diagrams, drawings and cue cards to reinforce mathematical language.  Give directions clearly; repeat key vocabulary often and reinforce it continually.  Connect new words to known words by using interesting information that generates rich connections.  Practice technical terms such as “numerator,” “denominator,” “quotient,” “multiples,” and “factors” repeatedly in multisensory activities (use word cards, tactile surfaces and reference charts). 
• Drawings are crucial to helping a student translate and visualize math concepts.  This is the link between concrete and abstract levels of understanding.  When students make their own drawings, explain verbally, and write in journals they are  reinforcing understanding. Retrieval is more certain when they are not just writing on cookbook worksheets.
• Students should verbalize step-by-step while solving a math problem.  O-G routines build confidence and independence in this way.  Students’ own orally composed original word problems or drawings can be adapted for review.  Teacher and student can take turns writing and adding carefully measured complexity to word problems; this can reinforce students’ reading and writing skills.
• Color coding or visual cueing focuses attention and assists in sequencing steps in place value work.  (For example, a separate color may be designated for the ones, tens, and hundreds columns.)  Such a method helps with recall of information.  In word problems, identiy starting and stopping points by highlighting puctuation in color.  Highlight important key words to cue an appropriate response.  These strategies help a child become independent.
• Always move from simple to complex (a key O-G tenet).  And use a variety of methods when presenting new information.  Teach alternate strategies: manipulatives; drawing;  looking for patterns;  trial and error; acting it out; recording results on a table or chart.  In these ways students are enriched as they bridge the gap to traditional algorithms and generalizations.
• Integrate math into O-G language instruction in other content areas.  Count sounds and syllables in words; then add, subtract, multiply or divide them.  Create fractions that compare vowels and consonants, or create ratios and graphs.  Construct concrete or shape poems out of multiplication and division matrixes.  Find math concepts in the context of a story.  Factual and fictional literature can easily be adapted by specifying the numbers of whales in a pod, or specific distances on a voyage.  In this way, math is incoroprated into narrative themes, reading writing, listening and even oral history.   Here again, it is easy to include math manipulatives and drawings.  Students will be less anxious and even enjoy this (sneaked in) extra practice.
• Get up, sit up, move.  Many of our students are kinesthetic learners who learn by doing.  Skip count across the floor; stand while working with manipulatives; write on a white board with lots of space to produce big arm movements.

Wardrop is referring in her article to work by Thornton Bley; Chinn and Ashcroft;  J. Foss;  DC Geary; Gersten, Jordon and Flojo; R. Kramer; M. Montague and A Jitendra;  the NCTM  2000 statement of principles; Steven Stahl, J Steeves; and Ron Yoshimoto.  For details and titles of their work, consult the article by Wardrop, “Orton-Gillingham Multisensory Math.”

sole source: The AOGPE Academy News, Winter 2008.  Articles by Angela Wilkins and Marilyn Wardrop.

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021   or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com