I have been researching this method for a couple of months since I stumbled upon PG on this forum. I just decided to sign up for the online course, and I’m wondering if there are any PG therapists out there who can share any advice or tips for getting the most out of PG. To give some background on myself, I am a certified reading specialist teaching at a private special education school. Though my masters degree gave me a lot of information on how to enhance comprehension and create meaningful reading experiences for my students, I did not learn what to do when phnocis fails and students cannot decode. As we all know, students who cannot decode will not progress to any other form of reading instruction. I’m hoping PG can fill in the gaps for my students. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks in advance!
I’m also a reading specialist. P-G uses excellent, established techniques for teaching reading, including what are called “Elkonin boxes” after their originator and “letterbox lessons” over at one of my favorite sites - the “reading genie” http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/
The program does an excellent job of prioritizing the connection between sounds and symbols (and thus, actually, teaches phonics to students who don’t get it with the other “well, we sort of include some phonics and we call it that and hope the students figure it out” programs, or the other ones that have practice in phonics — but if you don’t already know it, welp… you guess and go…).
Unfortunately, unless things have chagned, the training involves committing to Only Using PG. I have also witnessed some decidedly unprofessional conversations wherein P-G authors were well beyond the pale and verbally abusive. I don’t have a vested interest in any other reading program or a personal agenda against PG, by the way ;) That was a few years back, though. (When they posted on their website that other programs had students “chanting out the syllables to Hit-ler, Hit-ler, I decided I’d spend my time elsewhere.)
[Modified by: Sue on December 04, 2009 11:18 AM]