TEACHING METHODS

In 2000, the National Reading Panel issued a report after reviewing more than 100,000 studies. These findings defined five key areas that must be included in any effective reading instruction:

• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics– Systematic, explicit and intensive
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension

The Educational Therapy Center teaches all these necessary skills in a step-by-step, integrated way, using the Orton-Gillingham Approach which is multisensory and phonics-based. We also teach the essential spelling rules of our language simultaneously with the reading of phonetic words.

Targeted, Integrated, and Effective

We begin by recognizing the needs of the individual student through a Skill Assessment used in developing a program tailored for their specific needs and learning differences.

Did You Know?

“There is simply no doubt that if children receive effective instruction early and with intensity, they can make large gains in general academic achievement.”

Learning Disabilities and Early Intervention Strategies
By G. Reid Lyon Ph.D.

Although the lessons are written to each student’s needs, the program is systematic — ordered so that there is a clear relationship between the instructional materials. Students don’t just “do” — they understand what they are doing and why. The goal is for the student to internalize this information, to apply it to everyday situations and to generalize it take to the next level of study.

Each lesson builds on the last lesson as the information is moving from simple to more complex. Constant review within the context of a new lesson enables students to practice and perfect previously learned material; repeated practice helps them retain the skills for the long-term. Along the way, students build confidence through positive reinforcement.

Sessions are held two or three times per week — one student with one tutor for 50-59 minutes per session — to assure the skills are mastered. Gradually, step-by-step, working directly, one-on-one with their tutor, our students become competent readers, writers and independent learners.

Our remediation is not a quick fix, but a lasting one. Tutoring sessions typically last 2 years or more, but varies with the student’s abilities and prior knowledge. However, as your students gain skills they lacked, their peers are learning new skills. Closing this “skills gap” is done as efficiently as possible– but at the pace your student needs to master the material and continue to perform at grade level.