Basic Tutoring Workshop
Each of us has been a teacher at some point in our lives. As a child, it may have been teaching a younger child to ride a bicycle. Later, as a young adult, it may have been teaching a child — your child — to tie his shoes or print his name on a sheet of paper. Remember the sense of satisfaction you felt when the young person accomplished his/her goal?
Well today many adults are realizing they would like to experience the gratifying role of teacher once again. Through Literacy Volunteers of America, they can discover a way to do it. Now, the students are adult learners who have been unable to develop their reading and writing skills to a satisfactory level, personally and/or socially. This time around the challenge is even greater and the results every bit as rewarding.
Perhaps you too want to help in this worthwhile effort but are reluctant. “I’m not an educator,” you say, “I don’t have any formal training experience.” Join the group! Many of our tutors are getting the job done with only the primary requisites: a caring attitude, a sincere desire to help, and a certificate that signifies they have completed our Basic Literacy Workshop.
OK, you have the first two but what is this workshop you ask? Let us give you some details. First, its a group effort. You will meet others, as yourself, interested in learning how to teach Basic Reading Skills to adult learners. Second, you will meet fabulous tutor trainers who are experienced at tutoring and training. We will stress interaction through the collaborative approach: students learn from trainer, students learn from students, and trainers learn from students. The class will divide into teams of 3-4, each team at its own table. After we explain a tutoring technique, the team will be given a task to accomplish — using the technique. Each team develops a plan to accomplish the task and then presents it to the class for discussion among the students and trainers.
We will pair the students for role playing. One will be the tutor and the other will be the learner. They will practice the tutoring techniques. Occasionally, we will ask the students to participate in exercises designed to create a sense of the frustration and helplessness an adult learner experiences when he/she tries to read or write. In short, the student will become the adult learner. Its quite an experience!
There are six 3-hour sessions for a total of 18 hours of instruction and interaction. The dates and times are arranged to accommodate the greatest number of people interested in the training. There is a nominal charge to cover the cost of the training manuals and handout materials.
So, if you’re looking for a truly rewarding experience, then call us.