Notes from March 6 Tutor Round Table

The March 6 Tutor Round Table meeting was attended by both experienced tutors as well as a tutor who had just been matched with her adult learner. Here are some of the topics which were discussed:

• A tutor who is working heavily on writing skills with his learner mentioned that the free instructional workbooks available in the Project Read office have been extremely helpful. He specifically mentioned Write All About It (student book and teacher's manual) which he found useful in teaching basic grammar skills using a very structured approach.
• Another tutor mentioned that the specific writing skills which need to be taught really depend on the goals of the learner. Her learner's writing goals are limited so she and her learner are not currently working on the higher level grammar skills.
• One tutor in attendance mentioned that her learner may have some learning differences which make decoding individual words even more challenging. It was suggested that patience, repetition, and the use of multi-sensory instructional techniques are the keys to assisting these learners. She went on to say that her learner does feel that he is making real progress and she can see it too.
• There was also a discussion of how to effectively praise an adult learner. One tutor mentioned the importance of varying your response. As an example, here's a link to a great list called 101 Ways to Say "Good Job" http://www.bozeman.k12.mt.us/humanresources/sub/101ways.html . It was also suggested that a tutor's praise could be focused on specific things the learner is doing right. For example, if your learner spells a contraction correctly for the first time, point to the word and mention that he/she did a great job so that the correct spelling is reinforced.
• Finally, there was a discussion of where to obtain news and current event articles that are accessible for adult learners. Some suggestions included: USA Today (written at a slightly easier reading level than other newspapers, and with more pictures), News For You (a weekly newspaper published for adult learners, available in Project Read office), Readers Digest, and the California Distance Learning Project link on the Project Read computer lab homepage - http://www.cdlponline.org/ - which includes articles and comprehension exercises on a wide range of topics.