WHAT IS OVIP?
OVIP is an Individualised phonics using ‘own voice’ for young people with severe and persistent literacy difficulties.
- Own Voice Individualized Phonics (OVIP) is intended for those individuals who have experienced long term and continuing difficulties in developing word recognition skills associated with level of phonological awareness (PA)/ phoneme discrimination (PD) and knowledge of the orthographic structure of English.
- These individuals will come with negative attitudes and expectations related to their difficulties which may well need to be addressed by the tutor.
- The OVIP method uses the tutee’s voice to deliver error free lesson content, the materials are multi sensory and cumulative and designed to improve PA & PD and thereby word recognition, the method also improves reading fluency.
- The one to one delivery of the method uses aspects of ‘self as model’ a method much used in many areas of performance enhancement such as music, drama, sport etc. The method is akin to a close coaching or apprenticeship model. So, the tutor fulfils the roles of mentor and kindly master as well as teacher in a perceptive and empathic way.
- OVIP has two main methods for assisting tutees in the making of lessons.
- ‘trialling’ where the tutor asks the tutee to read the word/ sentence /rule / exercise un-aided, this is to encourage the tutee to display their current level of knowledge. It helps to develop self confidence.
- ‘modelling’ where the tutor will model or prompt to assist the tutee to carry out the required task. Both methods are used interchangeably in any task set.
- OVIP is delivered in a unique way, in short, the tutee becomes the tutor. First, the tutee produces an error free lesson with the support and guidance of the tutor who makes the recording and second the tutee performs several practices of the lesson independently by listening to the lesson and writing the contents out to dictation.
- The tutee usually starts off at a level below their current functional level insofar as word recognition is concerned. The reason for this is that the method requires the tutee to learn how to make the lessons correctly and how to complete the practices correctly. This will be a new experience for the tutee that will probably take up much of their cognitive capacity in the first few lessons. Taking the tutee back several steps in their learning development to a point where they are confident and competent allows them to give their full attention to the important task of learning how to make the lessons and complete the practices. The use of familiar content lessens memory load and decreases the slope of the learning curve insofar as the lesson making and practicing is concerned. To start a tutee close to or at the ‘cutting edge’ of their current competence level might be stressful for them and, as they have a record of failure, we want them to start off with success and confidence.