Professional Development
Dr. Tammy Tillotson was trained as a certified Instructor of Academic Language Practitioners, worked as a certified Academic Language Therapist, and a certified Structured Language Dyslexia Interventionist. She has provided comprehensive multisensory structured language education training opportunities that are fully supported by the science and research for effective reading instruction for more than ten years.
Multisensory Structured Language Education / Orton Gillingham / Structured Literacy instruction has been proven to be the most effective method for teaching children to read in educator professional development. Training has a strong focus on the phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, spelling, semantics, syntax, handwriting, and grammar that makes language instruction effective. Trainees who work with Dr. Tillotson not only learn the most effective methods of instruction but they also learn about the structure of the language and how to build strong phonological and orthographic maps in children.
Tutor training includes course content instruction taught over 10 months and a simultaneously supervised practicum where trainees apply what is being learned throughout the year. This comprehensive training qualifies individuals to be eligible for certification upon successful completion as a dyslexia specialist through the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI) and/or an academic language practitioner through the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA). The training commitment is four to six hours per week. The knowledge gained from this training prepares individuals for teaching reading effectively in full classrooms, small groups, or one-to-one lessons. Limited tutor training slots are available to qualified individuals. Please contact us for details on cost of training, any required materials, and to discuss upcoming training options.
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School consulting and professional development is customized to meet the needs of the staff being trained. Specific content can be incorporated into the training as negotiated. In addition to group instruction, classroom observations, lesson modeling, and individual educator feedback is provided.
Educator Coaching
In-person Observations
Immediate Verbal & Written Feedback
Educators receive an objective and reliable perspective from a highly qualified and well-trained coach. An outsider's view allows for focused and strategic verbal and written feedback on how to make language arts instruction more effective.
Tutor Training
45+ Course Hours
100+ Practical Application
10 Months to Complete for Certification
Becoming a trained tutor also means becoming a hero to a child who needs the additional support and instruction in learning to read, write, and spell. The comprehensive tutor training provided by Tilly Training & Tutoring requires a 10 month commitment. Monthly content instruction is provided and weekly practical application is completed as part of the training program.
Staff Professional Development
Course Hours and Cost Vary
Depending on Contract
Professional development proven to be the most effective methods for teaching children to read is tailored to the needs of the staff and school. Training incorporates a strong focus on phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, spelling, semantics, syntax, handwriting, and grammar knowledge and skills. With customized consulting opportunities, staff get support in their classrooms, during intervention time, and in one-to-one support throughout training beyond the training content.
Training ~ Same but Different
Multisensory Structured Language Education
Multisensory Structured Language Education (MSLE) describes the highly effective instructional approach used by ALTA-certified members. MSLE is intensive, teaches all components of the Structure of the English Language, is based on the Science of Reading research, incorporates diagnostic and prescriptive instructional techniques, and is explicit, systematic, and sequential. Let’s look at how ALTA defines the principles of MSLE instruction:
Diagnostic: follows an individualized instructional plan that is adaptive based on the needs of the student.
Systematic: predictable routines allow the student to focus on material and maximize instructional time.
Intensive: one-on-one or small group instruction that consistently occurs throughout the week for an extended period of time.
Simultaneous & Multisensory: two or more sensory modalities (visual, auditory, tactile-kinesthetic) are engaged at the same time to enhance learning.
Sequential & Cumulative: language instruction follows a logical order from simplest to advanced concepts. Concepts build upon each layer to automaticity.
Direct & Explicit: information is expressed in a precise and straightforward approach so the instructor eliminates guessing by the student.
Structured Literacy
Structured Literacy™ is an approach to reading instruction that is beneficial for both general education students at risk for reading difficulties due to a variety of factors (e.g. low socio-economic status, status as an English learner) and for students with disabilities.
This approach is characterized by the provision of systematic, explicit instruction that integrates listening, speaking, reading and writing and emphasizes the structure of language across the speech sound system (phonology), the writing system (orthography), the structure of sentences (syntax), the meaningful parts of words (morphology), the relationships among words (semantics), and the organization of spoken and written discourse.
A little Multisensory fun!
Orton Gillingham
Orton-Gillingham is a highly structured approach that breaks reading and spelling down into smaller skills involving letters and sounds and then builds on these skills over time. The Orton-Gillingham approach empowers educators to develop an individualized, structured, multisensory plan to teach reading and vocabulary skills. Orton-Gillingham is a step-by-step learning process involving letters and sounds that encourages students to advance upon each smaller manageable skill learned throughout the process. It was the first approach to use explicit, direct, sequential, systematic, multi-sensory instruction to teach reading, which is effective for all students and essential for teaching students with dyslexia. The Orton-Gillingham approach is made up of components that ensure that students are not only able to use learned strategies, but can also explain the how and why of phonological strategies. This instructional approach encourages students by seeing, saying, sounding, and writing letters to master decoding and encoding of words. The Orton-Gillingham approach emphasizes multisensory learning, which combines sight, hearing, touch, and movement. This approach works well for students with dyslexia who lack a basic level of phonemic awareness.
While these titles are different, each of these three training "methods" encompass very similar content, structure, and format that are all based on the science and research of reading.
Get Specific Information About Training
Whether you are an individual looking for training or an entire school of staff, we can set you up for complete success that will improve reading, writing, and spelling skills in the children being taught. For specific information and details on opportunities for professional development/training, contact us today so we can provide all you need to get started.
Certification Opportunities with ALTA and CERI
Upon successful completion of the ALTA and CERI requirements, those trained at Tilly Training & Tutoring are eligible to apply for certification through the Academic Language Therapy Association and the Center for Effective Reading Instruction.
