Dyslexia is a neurobiological learning difficulty that primarily affects the development of accurate and fluent reading and spelling skills. It is not related to intelligence, motivation, vision, or effort. Individuals with dyslexia often have difficulties with phonological processing — the ability to recognise, remember, and manipulate the sounds within spoken words.

Dyslexia exists on a continuum, meaning it can range from mild to severe, and every individual may experience it differently.

Common characteristics of dyslexia may include difficulties with:

• Phonological awareness
• Decoding unfamiliar words
• Spelling
• Reading fluency
• Rapid retrieval of words or sounds
• Written expression
• Working memory and processing speed

Some students may also experience challenges with:

• Remembering sequences
• Automatic recall of facts
• Organising written work
• Learning letter-sound relationships

Importantly, dyslexia is not a reflection of intelligence. Many individuals with dyslexia demonstrate strong abilities in areas such as:

• Problem solving
• Creativity
• Oral language
• Critical thinking
• Visual-spatial reasoning
• Innovation

Without appropriate support, dyslexia can impact:

• Academic achievement
• Reading confidence
• Classroom participation
• Self-esteem
• Emotional wellbeing

However, with early identification and explicit, evidence-based instruction — particularly Structured Literacy approaches that include systematic phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and morphology instruction — students with dyslexia can make significant progress and become successful readers and writers.

Current research strongly supports:

• Early intervention
• Explicit and systematic instruction
• Cumulative teaching sequences
• Multisensory learning opportunities
• Frequent review and guided practice

Many educators now recognise that the teaching practices that support students with dyslexia are beneficial for many learners, particularly beginning readers and students experiencing literacy difficulties.

The Yoshimoto O-G Basic Literacy course provides teachers with a practical, explicit, and evidence-based framework for teaching reading, spelling, and writing using the Yoshimoto Orton-Gillingham Approach.

Across the four days, participants learn:

• The theory behind Structured Literacy and the Science of Reading
• Phonological and phonemic awareness
• Explicit synthetic phonics instruction
• Decoding and encoding strategies
• Multisensory teaching techniques
• Lesson planning and lesson delivery
• Diagnostic and prescriptive teaching
• Scope and sequence planning
• Fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension connections
• Error correction techniques
• Strategies for intervention and whole-class teaching

Participants also receive extensive ready-to-use classroom resources, including sound decks, lesson plans, procedure cards, and implementation tools.

The Yoshimoto Orton-Gillingham Approach is a form of Multisensory Structured Language (MSL) instruction.

MSL is the broader umbrella term used to describe explicit, systematic, cumulative, and multisensory literacy instruction. The Yoshimoto O-G Approach is a highly structured and practical implementation of these principles, developed specifically for classroom application.

Many participants find the Yoshimoto approach particularly valuable because it:

• Provides clear instructional routines
• Includes practical classroom-ready resources
• Supports whole-class, small-group, and intervention teaching
• Places strong emphasis on explicit teacher language and lesson delivery
• Bridges the gap between theory and classroom practice

Training is  delivered face-to-face, as participants consistently report that the interactive and hands-on nature of the training is one of its greatest strengths.

No formal prerequisites are required.

The course is suitable for:

• Classroom teachers
• Literacy intervention teachers
• Learning support staff
• Tutors
• Education support staff
• School leaders

While many participants hold a Bachelor of Education, it is not mandatory to attend the course.

The Multisensory Maths course focuses on explicit, structured, multisensory mathematics instruction using a Concrete → Representational → Abstract (CRA) approach.

Topics may include:

• Number sense
• Place value
• Mathematical language
• Explicit instruction in mathematical concepts
• Use of manipulatives
• Visual representations
• Building conceptual understanding
• Intervention strategies for struggling students

The course is primarily designed for primary and upper-primary educators. However, many secondary teachers, intervention teachers, and special education teachers also find the strategies highly valuable, particularly when supporting students with foundational gaps in numeracy.

The Yoshimoto O-G Approach is often highly beneficial for students with:

• Dyslexia
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• ADHD
• Developmental language disorders
• Processing difficulties
• Other learning challenges

The structured, predictable, explicit, and multisensory nature of the approach can help reduce cognitive load and increase student confidence and success.

As with all teaching approaches, instruction should be adjusted to meet individual student needs.

The Advanced Morphology workshop explores the structure of English through:

• Prefixes
• Suffixes
• Latin roots
• Greek combining forms
• Morphological analysis
• Vocabulary development
• Spelling and decoding connections
• Morphology lesson planning
• Strategies for explicit morphology instruction

The workshop is practical, classroom-focused, and designed specifically for educators wanting to integrate morphology into literacy instruction.

While programs such as Bill Hansberry’s Word Cracker or Lyn Stone’s Morpheme Magic also explore morphology, the DOGI workshop is uniquely aligned to the Yoshimoto O-G framework and emphasises:

• Structured and cumulative teaching
• Classroom implementation
• Integration into reading, spelling, writing, and vocabulary instruction
• Explicit instructional routines

Many educators choose to engage with multiple professional learning opportunities to deepen their understanding of morphology from different perspectives.

Schools should begin by:

1. Building staff understanding of Structured Literacy and the Science of Reading
2. Establishing a clear scope and sequence
3. Implementing consistent instructional routines
4. Training staff in explicit and multisensory teaching practices
5. Using assessment data to guide instruction
6. Creating consistency across classrooms and year levels

Many schools begin implementation in Foundation/Prep and early primary years before expanding across the school.

DOGI also offers consulting and implementation support for schools wanting to establish a whole-school approach.

Ron Yoshimoto’s resources can be used flexibly across:

• Whole-class instruction
• Small-group teaching
• Intervention
• One-on-one support

Many schools use the resources to:

• Introduce explicit phonics concepts to the whole class
• Reinforce learning through multisensory activities
• Differentiate instruction
• Support intervention groups

The structured routines help teachers maintain consistency while still allowing for differentiation and responsiveness to student needs.

Early assessment should focus on foundational literacy skills, including:

• Phonological awareness
• Phonemic awareness
• Letter-sound knowledge
• Decoding
• Encoding/spelling
• Oral language
• Rapid automatic naming (where appropriate)

Schools often use:

• Curriculum-based assessments
• Screening tools
• Progress monitoring assessments
• Diagnostic assessments

The goal is early identification and timely intervention rather than waiting for students to fail.

A whole-school Structured Literacy approach typically includes:

• Explicit whole-class instruction
• Flexible small-group teaching based on assessment data
• Targeted intervention for students requiring additional support
• Consistent instructional language and routines across classrooms

Traditional “levelled reading groups” are often discouraged because they may encourage students to rely on guessing strategies, pictures, or context rather than accurate decoding skills.

Instead, instruction should prioritise:

• Decoding accuracy
• Explicit phonics instruction
• Controlled text practice
• Skill-based grouping

Effective correction techniques are:

• Immediate
• Calm
• Specific
• Supportive
• Instructional rather than punitive

Examples include:

• “Let’s try that again.”
• “Tap the sounds.”
• “What sound does this grapheme represent?”
• Guided error correction with teacher modelling

Consistent and supportive correction helps students:

• Build accuracy
• Reduce anxiety
• Experience success
• Develop confidence and resilience

Students often feel safer when learning is explicit and predictable.

Participants receive a certificate of completion for the Yoshimoto O-G training completed.

This indicates that the participant has successfully completed professional development in the Yoshimoto Orton-Gillingham Approach.

The four-day Basic Literacy course itself does not include the full practicum required for specialist certification.

However, the course may contribute toward professional learning requirements and provide foundational training for educators interested in pursuing further supervised practicum pathways and professional memberships.

Participants interested in certification pathways are encouraged to contact us for current information regarding eligibility and supervision options.

Ticket prices vary depending on:

• The course
• School-hosted events
• Large group bookings

Current pricing is available on our website.

Schools interested in hosting or group bookings are encouraged to contact DOGI directly for customised pricing options.

Flexible delivery formats may be available for schools hosting private training.

Options can include:

• Staggered delivery across a term
• One full-day session followed by after-school sessions
• Pupil-free days
• Hybrid delivery models

We understand that schools often need to balance professional learning with staffing and TRT costs, and works collaboratively with schools to explore practical delivery options where possible.

Most teachers begin implementing strategies immediately after the training.

The Yoshimoto O-G Approach is designed to be highly practical, with participants learning:

• Explicit instructional routines
• Multisensory teaching techniques
• Lesson planning structures
• Correction procedures
• Classroom-ready activities

Teachers often report feeling more confident and organised in their literacy instruction from the very first week back in the classroom.

The Yoshimoto O-G Approach can be successfully used across:

• Tier 1 whole-class instruction
• Small-group intervention
• One-on-one tutoring
• Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention settings

Many schools use the same instructional framework across all tiers to create consistency for students and staff.

Often, yes.

Many schools integrate Structured Literacy practices into their existing literacy frameworks while gradually refining or replacing components that are not evidence-aligned.

The Yoshimoto O-G Approach can support:

• Explicit phonics instruction
• Spelling instruction
• Intervention programs
• Small-group teaching
• Decodable text implementation

Schools may choose to implement the approach progressively over time.

Absolutely.

The training is suitable for:

• Graduate teachers
• Experienced classroom teachers
• Literacy intervention specialists
• Tutors
• School leaders
• Learning support staff

Experienced educators often comment that the training helps consolidate and deepen their understanding of how literacy develops and why certain instructional practices are effective.

DOGI may provide ongoing support options such as:

• Informal implementation support
• Consulting services
• School visits
• Leadership mentoring
• Follow-up coaching
• Resource guidance
• Professional discussions around assessment and implementation

Many schools find that ongoing support helps strengthen long-term implementation success.

Resources vary by course, but may include:

• Sound decks
• Lesson plans
• Procedure cards
• Scope and sequence documents
• Morphology resources
• Worksheets
• Multisensory teaching materials
• Course handbooks

Participants receive practical resources designed to support immediate classroom implementation.

Not necessarily.

Many participants begin implementing strategies using the resources provided during training.

Some schools may later choose to expand their resource collection depending on:

• School-wide implementation goals
• Intervention needs
• Classroom requirements

Yes.

Schools and organisations may host private training onsite for their staff. This can support:

• Whole-school implementation
• Staff consistency
• Reduced travel costs
• Collaborative professional learning

Payment options may vary depending on the course and booking type.

Participants or schools wishing to discuss payment arrangements are encouraged to contact us directly.