Orton-Gillingham Training

Swift School offers Orton-Gillingham courses that follow the guidelines established by the Orton-Gillingham Academy (formerly the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators), with Swift’s Associate Level Training Program being accredited by the Academy. Only 19 training programs across the country have received this accreditation as of December 2019.

The courses and practicums are led by Mrs. Joan Gerken and Mrs. Natalie Felix, both Fellows of the Academy. Courses are held on the Swift School campus, conveniently located near the intersection of Georgia 400 and Holcomb Bridge Road. Please see the following to determine if these course(s) or other offerings meet your particular professional goals, needs or interests.

Past participation in the courses and practicums by educators, parents and other professionals have garnered consistent praise and exceeded expectations. For additional information, please contact Joan Gerken or Natalie Felix. If interested please complete our online registration form.

Register for Orton-Gillingham Courses

Orton-Gillingham Courses

Subscriber Course

The Subscriber Level course is an introduction to the Orton-Gillingham (OG) instructional methodology and the first level of study in the Orton-Gillingham Academy. Participants will receive an overview of the approach and instructional techniques as presented by a Fellow of the Academy. The course covers: Introduction to Orton-Gillingham, Characteristics of Dyslexia, Neurological Basis for Multisensory teaching, Phonology, Structure of the English language, and the OG Lesson format. Subscriber members become informed consumers but are not qualified to teach using the OG approach. A Subscriber designation indicates that a member has completed a course of at least six hours duration based on the Academy’s required curriculum at the Subscriber level.

Date: August 29, 2020
Times: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with an hour lunch break*
Course work: Satisfies 6 hours of Orton-Gillingham course work
Location: Swift School
This class will be taught in person on the Swift School campus. Participants will be required to wear masks and participant desks will be placed six feet apart.
Price: $200**

* Lunch not provided. Please pack a lunch.
**Cancellation policy: No refunds will be made for registrations cancelled on August 21, 2020, or later.

Click here to register.

Classroom Educator Course

This one-week comprehensive course is designed to satisfy the Classroom Educator curriculum for the Orton-Gillingham Academy. This course will offer participants exploration of typical milestones in motor, language, and reading development. The class will compare these milestones with those of the student with dyslexia and other language disorders impacting reading and spelling acquisition. Participants will learn to evaluate a student's strengths and weaknesses related to reading and spelling and provide effective multisensory instruction for remediation. The syllabus covers:

Characteristics of Dyslexia Related to Typical Development of Reading and Writing
The Principles of the Orton-Gillingham Approach
History and Structure of the English Language
How to Teach Decoding
Syllable Types and Syllabication
Strategies for Reading Comprehension and Written Expression
Teaching Strategies and Lesson Planning for Effective Remediation

Course Dates: Saturdays, 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

September 19
October 3, 17, 31
November 7, 28
December 12

Course work: Satisfies 35 hours of Orton-Gillingham course work
Location: Swift School
This class will be taught in person on the Swift School campus. Participants will be required to wear masks and participant desks will be placed six feet apart.
Price: $850

This course is open to all interested individuals who hold a Bachelor's degree in any area of study.

Click here to register.

Associate Level Course

This two-week comprehensive course is designed to satisfy the Associate level curriculum for the Orton-Gillingham Academy. The syllabus covers:

Characteristics of Dyslexia and Language Processing
Historical Perspective on the Orton-Gillingham Approach
History of the English Language
Phonology/How to teach decoding
Syllable types and Syllabication
Morphology/Anglo-Saxon, Latin and Greek Elements of our Language
Reading Comprehension
Written Expression
Teaching strategies and Lesson planning for effective remediation

Course Dates: TBD
Time of Class: 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Monday - Friday
Course work: Satisfies 70 hours of Orton-Gillingham course work
Location: Swift School

This course is open to all interested individuals who hold a Bachelor's degree in any area of study.

Certified Level Course

This 100-hour course is designed to strengthen a teacher's knowledge of language development, reading development and written expression. A teacher will learn to work with any age student with various learning differences. The class will investigate basic phonics programs and the development of language skills in children with learning problems. Teachers will study morphology in depth and learn to use their knowledge of language in helping students to broaden and improve their reading and writing skills. Teachers will learn specific strategies to plan lessons, using morphology, to teach reading, writing and vocabulary skills.

Course Dates: To be scheduled
Contact Joan Gerken or Natalie Felix
Course work: 100 hours of Orton-Gillingham course work
Location: Swift School

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