Volunteer Tutor Orientation This tutor orientation template can be adapted for your program or can be used as a general presentation, as it is.

Agenda Welcome and introductions Our program Literacy facts Expectations Tutor job description The adult learner Next steps Questions

Welcome and Introductions

Our Program Mission Vision Values History Funding sources Programs, services Locations Clients Questions Provide specifics about your program here and be prepared to answer various questions from the participants. They will want to know many details about their tutoring experience.

Adult Literacy

What is literacy? The Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA) of 2014 defines literacy as “an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak in English, compute and solve problems, at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual, and in society.” The term “literacy” means an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak in English, compute, and solve problems, at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual, and in society.

Some sobering facts More than 20% of the adult population - approximately 44 million people - read at or below a 5th grade level. (National Institute for Literacy, Fast Facts on Literacy, 2001) This means they can't read well enough to read a simple story to a child. (National Adult Literacy Survey (1992) NCED, U.S. Department of Education) Further clarification for the first bullet - They can read a little but not well enough to fill out an application, read a medication or food label, or read a simple story to a child. You may want to supply statistics for your local area.

And it continues… Nearly half of America's adults are poor readers, or "functionally illiterate." They can't carry out simple tasks like balancing check books, reading drug labels or writing essays for a job. (National Adult Literacy Survey of 1993) It is estimated that the cost of illiteracy to business and the taxpayer is $20 billion per year. (United Way, "Illiteracy: A National Crisis“)

You Can Make a Difference

The Starfish Story An old man walked up a shore littered with thousands of starfish, beached and dying after a storm. A young man was picking them up and flinging them back into the ocean. “Why do you bother?” the old man scoffed. “You’re not saving enough to make a difference.” The young man picked up another starfish and sent it spinning back to the water. “Made a difference to that one,” he said. Use this to lead into your program’s tutor job description.

Expectations

What We Expect of You A minimum of three hours per week of tutoring. You have or are working towards a Bachelor’s Degree. Attendance at this orientation, an initial basic tutor training and periodic professional development sessions. Regular documentation of tutoring sessions. Use this to lead into your program’s tutor job description.

Tutor Job Description Be prepared to share the details of your program’s tutor job description. Have copies to hand out.

What You Can Expect from Us A tutor coordinator who will support you in lesson planning, professional development activities, learner assessment, and providing instructional resources. Regular tutor support meetings. To be matched with a student whose needs meet your area(s) of interest or expertise. Strong and clear guidelines for student participation in the tutoring program. Discuss any other support you and your agency will provide for the tutors.

Your Role as a Tutor

As a Volunteer Tutor I will continually strive to identify and meet the needs of the learner(s) I tutor by learning about and applying new techniques during my instruction. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the tutoring sessions, I will document the instructional strategies I apply and how the learner is affected. Whenever possible, I will share my tutoring experiences with my peers so we can all learn and grow together. These are clearly very general statements. You will have to talk through just what each step means and how it might look in a real-life tutoring situation.

Help = Providing Tools and Support What is Help? Help ≠ Doing Help = Empowering Help = Providing Tools and Support Tutors need to understand from the very beginning that learners need to be empowered and given the tools and support needed to increase their independence and their skills levels. They don’t need someone to simply do the work for them. They need the confidence they will get when they realize they can learn things and do things for themselves.

Tips from Tutors to Tutors Don’t be discouraged by slow progress; it takes time to get to know your learner and establish a good learning routine - learning takes time! Your learner is likely to be more nervous than you are. Relax, have fun, be creative. Adult learners are different from children; make adult learning different from school. Provide any other insights you may have here. Share personal stories, if appropriate.

The Adult Learner You don’t want to go into a lot of detail about the characteristics of the adult learner; you simply want to touch on the fact that teaching adults will be different that teaching children and the potential tutor needs to be prepared for that difference.

Characteristics and Needs of Adult Learners Learn best when learning relates to their day to day lives. Are not a captive audience; they can vote with their feet. Are usually experiencing some sort of life change. Learn best when they have input into the selection of the content and even development of the learning experiences. Information from “Sit and Get” Won’t Grow Dendrites, Marcia Tate

Questions

Next Steps Provide information about the matching process, when the tutor can expect to hear from you, what they can expect next, etc.

Contact Information Make sure they have multiple ways to reach you, via email, phone, text, etc so they can contact you in whatever way they feel most comfortable.

Thank you for your time and interest