Helping Readers Make the Grade

Carolee Drake discusses a new program that assists students in learning to read and reading to learn.

Every fall, fourth graders across America negotiate an unofficial, yet important milestone in their intellectual development. It is during this year that these young learners are expected to make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Yet 30–40% of these students are ill-equipped to make that leap, because they are reading below grade level. Somehow, in their early elementary years, these children did not master the skills they needed to become proficient readers. What did these students miss out on, and why?

What they’re lacking, according to Jeanne Liuzzo, Director of Training for the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education, is explicit instruction in reading skills. "Current research indicates that organized, direct instruction in linguistic understanding, phonetic rules and word attack strategies are essential components of a successful reading program, but many of today’s teachers have not received the necessary training to promote those skills in their students. That is why we developed our training program." The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE) is a national company that specializes in on-site, customized professional development using the revised Orton-Gillingham multi-sensory method of language instruction, developed by neurologist Dr. Samuel T. Orton and educator Anna Gillingham. The program was originally used to teach dyslexic children to read, but has been found to benefit all learners. "We combine the direct instruction of Orton-Gillingham with a multi-sensory approach to learning that focuses on each student’s visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning pathways to maximize mastery and retention," said Liuzzo.

Reciprocal Teaching, developed by Palis-car and Brown, provides the program’s comprehension strand with activities to increase students’ ability to read for meaning. "This is a structured, sequential, balanced approach to reading that enables learners to capitalize on their strengths while strengthening their weaknesses," continued Liuzzo. "Our approach allows a teacher to weave together system-
atic phonics instruction, multi-sensory learning and the use of literature to nurture reading skills."

Instruction begins with strategies that help develop phonemic awareness in emerging readers (the ability to analyze, combine and connect the smallest units of sound with the letters that represent them). "Researchers have found a strong correlation between a lack of phonemic awareness and reading failure," said Liuzzo. "So we emphasize mastering that skill to build a strong foundation for learning for authentic literacy. Teachers who have experienced our training gain a solid understanding of the structure of language on its most basic level and acquire the tools to pass that understanding on to their students." Included in the training program are guidelines for weekly lesson plans, teaching and assessment materials, and a comprehensive training manual. "The response we have gotten from the teachers we’ve trained has been overwhelmingly positive," Liuzzo remarked. "They keep telling us that this is the piece of their reading program that’s been missing."

Based in Birmingham, Michigan, the IMSE has provided a wide range of training for teachers, administrators and parents in schools across the country. The programs offered range from a 16-hour core training program to a comprehensive 30-hour program to Greek and Latin roots training and refresher workshops. "It’s important for us to be flexible, said Bronwyn Hain, Training Coordinator. "Each district has its own needs, and its own budgetary constraints. But all districts want to produce proficient readers, and we are committed to working with them to accomplish that end. We can train special education teachers, or those who work with at-risk children, or our program can be fully integrated into the existing curriculum of the general education classroom to expose all students to the benefits of these strategies."

The IMSE has recently expanded its program to provide training for teachers of older students, up to and including those of high school age. Auxiliary programs to educate and train parents are also available. Anyone interested in learning more about the Institute and its programs can call (800) 646-9788, or visit the IMSE web site at Orton-Gillingham.com