is heggerty orton gillingham based

Lemon

2 min read

·

03-02-2025

1

0

Share

The question of whether Heggerty is Orton-Gillingham based is a common one among educators and parents seeking effective reading intervention programs. The short answer is: Heggerty's approach shares some similarities with Orton-Gillingham (OG), but it's not strictly considered a direct OG program. Let's delve deeper into the nuances to understand the relationship between these two prominent literacy methodologies.

Heggerty and Orton-Gillingham: Key Similarities

Both Heggerty and Orton-Gillingham are structured literacy approaches that emphasize explicit, systematic, and multisensory instruction. They share several key characteristics:

• Phonemic Awareness: Both methods place strong emphasis on developing phonemic awareness – the ability to hear and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. This is a foundational skill for reading.
• Systematic Instruction: Both programs follow a carefully sequenced curriculum, systematically introducing phonics skills in a logical progression. This ensures that students build upon previously learned concepts.
• Multisensory Techniques: While the specific techniques may vary, both approaches utilize multisensory activities to engage students' visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile learning styles. This can involve tracing letters, using manipulatives, or acting out sounds.
• Explicit Instruction: Both Heggerty and OG utilize explicit and direct instruction, clearly modeling the skills and providing ample opportunities for practice and feedback.

Heggerty and Orton-Gillingham: Key Differences

Despite these similarities, crucial differences distinguish Heggerty from a pure Orton-Gillingham program:

• Scope and Focus: Heggerty primarily focuses on phonemic awareness and phonics, with a lesser emphasis on other aspects of reading like fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, which are core components of a comprehensive OG program. OG addresses all aspects of reading within a systematic framework.
• Comprehensive Literacy Approach: OG is a much broader, comprehensive literacy approach that encompasses phonics, spelling, reading, and writing. Heggerty is more targeted towards the foundational skills of phonemic awareness and phonics.
• Individualized Instruction: OG often involves more individualized instruction tailored to the specific needs of each student, whereas Heggerty may be implemented in a whole-class or small-group setting with a more standardized approach.
• Teacher Training: Orton-Gillingham requires extensive and specialized teacher training to implement the approach effectively. While Heggerty training exists, it's generally less intensive than OG training.

Heggerty as a Component of a Broader Approach

It's important to note that Heggerty can be a valuable component within a broader, comprehensive literacy program that incorporates aspects of Orton-Gillingham. Many educators utilize Heggerty to strengthen students' phonemic awareness and foundational phonics skills, then integrate those skills into a more complete OG-based or similar structured literacy approach.

Conclusion: A Matter of Emphasis and Scope

While Heggerty shares some commonalities with Orton-Gillingham, it is not a direct substitute. It excels in building a strong foundation in phonemic awareness and phonics, crucial prerequisites for reading. However, for a comprehensive and complete approach to addressing all aspects of reading difficulties, a full Orton-Gillingham program or a similarly structured literacy program offering comprehensive instruction is typically recommended. The best choice depends on the specific needs of the student and the resources available. Consult with educational specialists to determine the most appropriate approach for individual learners.