I have the unique perspective of having had the pleasure to witness the magic that Liisa brings to her teaching and tutoring as both an elementary school teacher who attended her Orton – Gillingham training and as a parent of a child who painfully struggled with both reading and writing.
I have yet to meet someone as able, knowledgeable, committed and passionate about teaching her students the fundamentals of reading that will happen when you systematically train a student using the O-G approach. Her students begin to feel, perhaps for the first time, the beauty of language and the pride and success of unlocking the rules and patterns, origins and complexities of the English language. Her lessons are engaging, meticulously planned and individually tailored to engage the student from where ever they begin their journey to reading.
I am completely in awe of the skills, results and enthusiasm that Liisa has been able to provide for my child. This approach coupled with this exemplary educator has been a very bright light along our journey to reading. Elisa Mauro
All through my life I’ve had difficulty with reading and writing. I am an adult and it came to a point that I needed to find a solution to this problem. My wife was supportive of my problem along the way, and I had tried a few different courses that weren’t successful. Then we found Liisa through the Internet. I contacted Liisa and met with her in March. Since meeting with her, I have noticed a huge improvement in my reading and writing. Now I can pick up a book and read because I want to and I am not scared to, something I have never done before, thanks to the methods Liisa has taught me. I have since taken a course to better my career, which is something I would never have had the courage or ability to do before. Liisa’s teaching has changed my life. It is never too late to get help for your learning needs. L.C. (adult student)
Liisa is an exceptionally devoted, insightful and knowledgeable teacher who pours her heart and soul into her work. She is driven by the sole motivation of helping her students and imparts all the knowledge that she possibly can. I greatly admire Liisa for her dedication and the difference she makes in her students’ lives. Aisha Garib (teacher)
I highly recommend this course to every teacher. It uncovers all the mysteries around “literacy” and gives the teacher direction. The O-G Approach is for ALL students, not just those who are struggling. Liisa is so passionate and enthusiastic about it all, that you can’t help but come away totally motivated and eager to try out everything. – Sharon
This testimonial is in support of Liisa Freure of Fundamental Learning. Liisa is my practicum supervisor on my journey to attaining my Associate Level with The Academy of Orton Gillingham Practitioners and Educators. I already hold a B.A.H, B.Ed. and M.Ed., and I have taught, supply taught and tutored in international schools, public schools and independent schools. Like most Ontario Certified Teachers, I have taken a number of Additional Qualification courses, too. I have recently completed my Special Education parts 1 and 2 through York University. Liisa’s Associate Level Orton-Gillingham course is by far the best professional development course I have had the privilege of taking. Liisa is an outstanding instructor. Her course was organized, clear and her ability to communicate the content of the course was phenomenal. She is passionate and sincere in her belief of the Orton Gillingham approach, and this genuine enthusiasm resonates in her instruction. As her practicum student, I have spent many hours working with her on a one-to-one basis, and I have been astounded at her knowledge of the English language, and her ability to successfully share this knowledge. Training with Liisa and The Academy of Orton Gillingham Practitioners and Educators has been the most rewarding, practical and concrete professional development of my career. I am grateful that I have had the good fortune to work with Liisa and I would sincerely recommend her courses to all educators and parents. – S.G.
I must say that I have taken MANY courses and this is by far the most superior of all courses. The course was absolutely perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing. I look forward to when I can take the Certified level. Liisa transfers her enthusiasm to everyone in the class.
I would definitely recommend this course! Liisa’s passion for her vocation inspires a feeling of collegiality among course participants and…a sense of adventure. That’s exactly what learning should feel like. –a tutor
Liisa is extremely friendly and welcoming. I felt very comfortable when asking questions and sharing my thoughts and ideas. Liisa’s passion and knowledge, of course material, as well as her overall energy and enthusiasm are exemplar. Liisa’s efforts towards explicitly training the group, sharing resources, and providing feedback was greatly appreciated. I have already recommended the course to my MA colleagues at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study. Chrissy
This was by far the most enlightening professional development/training I have ever experienced in my career as a teacher. I wish that I could go back and do it all over again after learning everything that Liisa and Laurie taught me! Jennifer Broughton
I would certainly recommend this course. I think it is unfortunate that this course is not mandatory for teacher’s college (especially since it is now a two year course). I would have loved to have had this information in the early stages of my career as we have all had students with reading and writing disabilities in our classrooms.
– Primary teacher
I thought that the information was incredibly well organized and sequenced thoughtfully. Information was presented clearly; I appreciated the way we continually revisited previous concepts.
First and foremost, this course is the best value of any I’ve ever taken; given the amount of material covered in this course and the cost savings in tutoring or program purchase, this is a really reasonable financial option for a parent with a child or children with dyslexia.
I would certainly recommend this course. Many sources have indicated that one of the strongest indicators of a student’s success with reading/spelling is the knowledge and skill of the teacher. It is unfortunate that all teachers do not have this training in their backgrounds. Thanks for being such an enthusiastic teacher, and for sharing your vast knowledge with such dedication and patience.
S.R. Speech-Language Pathologist
I am very impressed with Liisa’s ability to deliver the training course in such a short period of time as well as with varying levels of experience. The course has met and surpassed my needs and I look forward to pursuing continued training at the Certified level.
Liisa continuously engaged the group in a clear, informative, and sequential manner. Liisa always made sure everyone understood everything.
I would absolutely recommend this course. It should be part of teacher training in university.
I would recommend this course to anyone who is interested in teaching all types of students how to read, write & spell. It has completely changed how I think about literacy and how the components of literacy can be/should be taught. The course has given me a greater appreciation for reading, writing, and spelling and how this relates to teaching & learning. I have a deeper understanding of language disabilities, more so than I would ever find in any AQ course. For those who are interested in the course, I think they must understand the intensity of the course (work material, readings etc…) and why this is necessary.
I appreciate this course because I feel like I learned so much, and I feel motivated to continue learning. Every little piece I integrate into teaching seems to be met with such a positive student response! Susannah
I would like to continue my training, particularly with Liisa. She is a wealth of knowledge. I was sad it had to end as I was learning so much. This was the best training I have ever had. I feel that the things I wrote sound canned or overly exaggerated but I kid you not … I wish every NILD Educational Therapist would take this training. I am going to strongly suggest it to the Directors. Thank you again! Kristina Campbell
I have already started using the material to help my daughter, and we have had a lot of success.
Very clear. Very logical. Extremely well organized. I have told everyone within earshot how thorough this course has been. You have a lovely way with people. I was amazed at how much knowledge you had and how you were able to pass your enthusiasm for the language on to the group! You had a lot of ‘fun facts’ that I hope to pass on to my students. I have been given a lot of resources as well as the information necessary to find things on my own. You absolutely packed our heads and binders with very useful information. I hope to become ‘certified ‘ one day. I have recommended this course to all of my professional friends. – K.M.
Liisa is a passionate instructor and has a very strong knowledge of O-G. She is a wealth of information and is open to sharing her experiences and resources she has learned and acquired over the years working with O-G. Lori
I have already enthusiastically recommended the course to several people trained as or interested in training as a teacher or tutor. Again, as with Part 1, I have recommended the course as an opportunity to learn practically the Orton-Gillingham approach, an approach which has made an amazing difference in the reading, writing and confidence of my child. Liisa Freure’s passion, expert understanding and leadership makes this course an intensely valuable experience for those interested in helping learners with dyslexia.
The Orton-Gillingham approach comes alive in this course through the expert guidance and leadership of Liisa Freure and Laurie Leason. As teachers, they give those in associate training confidence in understanding both the fascinating theoretical underpinnings of the approach and in its practical application with students. Quite simply, OG works. I couldn’t feel better about helping my child with dyslexia to become a successful reader, and I am grateful to Liisa and Laurie for providing this incredibly rich, structured yet flexible training program.
I also wanted to share the good news that I have word from the school that my daughter is making great strides in her transition to the English stream for Grade 3 — very glad we made the decision to pull her from French Immersion — and is moving up one level each month in their reading tests. (And since I’m seeing constant improvement in both fluency and level of material at home, I can trust their tests!) It feels awesome. Parent- Erin
Teaching is a process, and this course has truly taught me this by outlining an approach that is diagnostic and prescriptive. My TESOL training did not introduce this concept (a critical point in teaching), nor did it adequately provide enough hands-on ideas for how to teach certain things. This course did and I’m very grateful for that.
Thank you, Laurie and Liisa for 2 game-changing weeks. I am already beginning to see my practice as an educator and my students through a different lens, after taking the Associate level course. I was once told by a very wise person that what is good for some can benefit to all. While the O-G approach was originally developed for students with dyslexia and specific learning disabilities related to language, it is an approach that should be made accessible to all teachers and teachers-in-training in pre-service education. Whether it is a large group (classroom) or 1:1 tutoring session, the O-G approach is not merely a teaching “method” but rather a very powerful lens through which we are all – teachers and students alike – learners of a language that can be mastered.
Yes, I would highly recommend the course. Thank you for your commitment to offering an excellent professional development opportunity. I’m so glad I stumbled upon OG! Sue
Taking the Orton Gillingham Associate Level training course from Liisa and Laurie has completely transformed my teaching practice. I now see spelling patterns everywhere I look! Growing up and being taught to read with the whole language approach, I never realized how much of the English language is actually predictable and decodable. I am currently teaching my daughter, who has a Learning Disability, using Orton-Gilingham techniques. The multisensory, systematic approach to language has resulted in tremendous increases in her confidence and her ability to decode and write independently. All teachers should have this training! Lee-Ann Lear
I had the privilege of taking an Orton-Gillingham training course given by Liisa Freure and Laurie Leason this past summer. The course was well organized, well presented and included a lot of up-to-date research, references and practical resources. Hands-on exercises, relevant video clips and an atmosphere that encouraged questions and discussion also helped make the course successful. I hope I can take more courses from Liisa and Laurie in the future! Jill
Thank you for being organized, informative and encouraging. You encouraged us to share our passion for reading with others in a very clear and concise manner. We all left the course armed with appropriate information and the skill set to make a difference.
Overall, this has been a fabulous experience for me! Every night after the course I would call my mom on the way home, and spout forth all the new learnings. I found it exciting, informative, and genuinely enjoyable to be a part of this group. Thanks so much Laurie and Liisa!
I truly appreciate the fact that you open your course to people from various backgrounds and did not require that all applicants have certain prerequisites in order to take the course. I also gained a lot from the other participants and enjoyed what each one had to offer.
One of the best aspects of the course for me was how we were encouraged to ask questions and deepen our understanding of the material. It felt like those taking the course were working together as a team to understand the challenges and how they could use the material to teach, and I believe this environment was really brought about by Liisa and Laurie’s leadership.
I feel as if I have been “spoiled/ruined” (haha!) in the sense that my awareness has been piqued. I no longer consider the materials I was using until now to be indicative/ supportive of my students’ needs. I am already reflecting on my current practice more critically and am more sensitive to the academic and emotional demands of my students both in our one-one sessions and in the classroom. I now realize where the many “holes” in my practice as an educator lie, and am now really excited to strengthen those areas with the new strategies I have learned through O-G training. Part 1 has truly taught me to examine/reflect upon where I am taking my students within a given session and how to include supports/appropriate scaffolding in order to get them to where we want to go. I have also gleaned, however, that their learning/progress as learners is not simply a destination but rather a journey on which we are embarking on together.
Yes I would recommend the course. All in all the materials were presented clearly and the teacher was very accommodating and willing to help in every way.
Absolutely!! I would recommend this course. Slides and materials shared (assessment, cards) were amazing. It is clear how vital this material is and Liisa is a wonderful instructor. So passionate and thoughtful of what each student needed.
– Lee Ann Kant – Speech Language Pathologist
The information was very clearly presented and presented in a logical, meaningful sequence. I liked that there was repetition built into the lectures – it helped to solidify the information. I also liked the hands-on application of information. It helped to make the strategies/descriptions clearer. – Speech Language Pathologist
Loved the class! I have learned more about reading and teaching children to read than I have in 15 years of teaching experience. I want to thank both of you for giving so much and look forward to part 2.
CERTIFIED TRAINING COURSE COMMENTS
Yes! I would definitely recommend this course as a necessary continuation to the Associate level course. The information gathered from this course is crucial to the OG tutor who wants to develop advanced teaching skills and integrate up-to-date, evidence based practice into their lessons while maintaining the integrity of the OG approach.
– Azza Daba
Yes, I recommend this course! The Certified Level OG Course adds to your depth of knowledge and practice. The course is taught thoroughly with a great mix of theory and practical application. It is essential learning for teaching advanced language students.
The Certifed Orton-Gillingham Course added many layers to my learning that was missing. I now have a much deeper understanding of the English Language. This translates to answers regarding reading, spelling, sentence construction and writing strategies. You owe it to all your students to understand the advance language principles.
– Karen Russell
I would recommend this course; I now understand why this level is called Certified….because the Associate level is only the first part of the equation, and not knowing what they don’t know, many people stop there. The Certified level is just that….once the practicum is completed we are fully competent to fly on our own. Until then we fly under the expert mentorship of a Fellow. Laurie and Liisa put their hearts and souls into preparing and presenting this course and are generous with their knowledge, resources and mentorship. I look forward to my practicum and to continuing to expand my O-G horizons through workshops, conferences, and networking.
– Honor Hedges
Orton Gillingham 