Training literacy tutors

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Abstract

Reading is a very complex process, and tutors can help young children successfully master the process through practice, preparation and interaction. Shelly Ohl, director of the Northwest Service Academy (NWSA) Education Awards Only program in Vancouver, Washington, shares tutoring insights gained at the America Reads conference workshops in Albuquerque, New Mexico, May 1998. This summary is based on the article "Keys to Teaching Literacy: America Reads Conferences" in the August 1998 issue of The Tutor newsletter.

Issue

Literacy tutoring is more effective if the tutor is well-trained. Tutors do not necessarily need to have a degree, but they need a "bag of tricks" and good training prior to their tutoring.

Action

Following are some of the practices presented during the Literacy Core workshop:

Identify staff members who can provide insight into the school culture and regular feedback.
Be prepared for tutoring sessions, and have quality materials, a work plan, and a backup plan at your disposal.
Schedule tutoring sessions regularly.
Get to know the child.
Before beginning reading, have the child look over the book and make predictions about the story.
To ensure success, readers need to practice at home and at school.
Have children monitor their own reading by asking them to "say that again," or asking "does that sound right?"
Practice letting the child figure out the word.
Ask questions such as, "How does the word begin? Do you know another word that starts that way?"
After reading, discuss the story.
Include activities such as re-reading, word analysis, writing, and stories.
Make reading a social activity; show the child other children reading.
Coordinate the tutoring sessions with classroom activities.
Have assessment tools in place.
Celebrate accomplishments.